Blogging The Boys
Editor Note: We’re all still processing the tragic passing of Marshawn Kneeland. You can view the reported details of what happened here, and we will cover any news-worthy developments down the road if there are any. If you are struggling with any mental health issues, visit here for resources to help. We are now returning to our regular coverage of the Dallas Cowboys season.
When the Dallas Cowboys traded away their star edge rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers right before the start of the new season, it shook up the entire sports world. What initially looked like the fallout of a contractual stalemate, propagated by the stubborn Jerry Jones, turned into a game of either-or. The brain trust over at The Star felt that the sum of all of the alternative parts would be greater than one whole Micah Parsons.
Jones has gone on record expressing how moving on from Parsons could yield the Cowboys three to five players. He indicated that the team as a whole would benefit more with these additional players than just that of Parsons. They saw it as a great opportunity to make a move, in hopes of returning a large haul that would ultimately make them a better team. Jones iterated that these new players would arrive via the trade itself (Kenny Clark), draft picks, and what they’d be able to do with the cap resources that would now be available from not signing Parsons. He also clarified that the draft capital received in the trade wouldn’t be limited to using them during the draft, but also as bargaining chips to trade for new players themselves.
With each new day, the front-office plan has slowly taken shape. While everything hasn’t fallen into place perfectly like they hoped, you can see what they had envisioned with how things are starting to play out. And now, after the big trade for the New York Jets’ stud defensive tackle, Quinnen Williams, more and more of the equation is starting to reveal itself. Today, we wanted to take a look at the different parts of the Parsons trade and some of the connected pieces that might not have been so obvious in the beginning.
The veteran nose tackle was an important piece of the trade, according to Jerry Jones. He made it clear that addressing the interior of the defensive line was of utmost importance, and the three-time Pro Bowler was expected to help. Clark is 30 years old. He’s a good player, and he’s shown up at different times this season, but he hasn’t proved to be the answer the team was looking for. The good news is, he’s only costing the team $2.6 million this year as Green Bay covers the remaining $8.2 million of his 2025 annual salary. Should the Cowboys keep him going forward, he’ll come with a cap hit of $21.5 million and $20 million, respectively, over the next two seasons. That may be a little...
