Blogging The Boys
The fans are among the collateral damage from the trade.
LOSERS
Cowboys fans: It’s been 30 years since their last Lombardi Trophy run. That streak feels likely to hit 31. Thursday’s news is a turd-in-the-punchbowl moment for Cowboys fans who have been sipping sour Kool-Aid for years. Dallas fanatics have endured a glut of annoying contract standoffs that could have been avoided but ultimately bore fruit. The Parsons negotiations seemed to be playing out similarly until the gut-punch trade. Even the most optimistic Cowboys fans will have a hard time convincing themselves that they can compete in 2025 sans their defensive superstar. Clark addresses a longtime need at defensive tackle, but draft picks can’t help right now. Then those fanatical supporters have to hope the organization hits on those picks, which are likely to be near the end of the round. Can’t have another Taco Charlton misstep.
Jerry Jones the GM: The entire unraveling of the contract situation doesn’t leave the general manager in a good light. The issues Parsons relayed about his agent being iced out of talks isn’t a good look for the man in charge of personnel. Then there is the issue that the GM’s club is undoubtedly worse heading into a season. The Cowboys’ entire defense revolved around Parsons’ ability to pester the quarterback. Now they’re left with a massive hole. Donovan Ezeiruaku flashed at camp, but does anyone really believe the second-round pick can fill those shoes? GMs constantly tell us that their job is to give the coaches the best 53 they can each year. It’s hard to say the Cowboys have done that after trading Parsons.
Matt Eberflus Cowboys DC: It’s a bummer for Eberflus. After bottoming out in Chicago, he landed on his feet in Dallas, hoping for a swift turnaround. Instead of scheming up ways to get Parsons loose on opposing quarterbacks, he’ll be going after it with … Dante Fowler Jr.? The defensive front was far from sturdy last year, and there were already questions in the secondary, thanks in part to injuries. While the addition of Clark helps, Parsons’ absence will only magnify those issues. He wasn’t up to snuff as a head man, but Eberflus can coach up a defense. Having to do so without a game-changer like Parsons, however, will make life significantly harder.
The ‘stop the run’ justification for trading Micah Parsons feels dubious.
To start the news conference, Jones spent plenty of time talking about run defense.
“Without being too broad, we did think it was in the best interest for our organization, not only in the future but right now, for this season,” Jones said. “We gained a Pro Bowl player in an area that we had big concerns in, on...
