As Dallas Cowboys fans are still processing, or recovering from, the news of Micah Parsons being traded to Green Bay, many are wondering how we got here. There is no one answer; it’s the result of a large, multi-faceted equation. But based on their press conference Thursday night, Jerry and Stephen Jones clearly felt that Dallas’ depth at defensive end, plus changes on the defensive coaching staff, made it easier to let Parsons go.
Contributing to that comfort level are two new players, Donovan Ezeiruaku
and James Houston, and new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. We’re not saying that they’re the keys to what’s transpired. Jerry and Stephen were adamant that it had more to do with what they were able to obtain in the trade compared to the massive contract Parsons wanted. But, based on the Jones’ comments, it’s clear that they were factors in the decision.
Ezeiruaku & Houston
According to Jerry’s timeline, the direct conversation he had with Parsons about a contract occurred in early April. At that time, Dallas had signed Dante Fowler and Payton Turner in free agency and still had Marshawn Kneeland and Sam Williams under contract. But with DeMarcus Lawrence and Chauncey Golston’s exits, there wasn’t any sense of a surplus at defensive end. Plus, with Turner having busted in New Orleans and Williams coming off an ACL tear, they were far from confirmed assets for 2025.
While DE was a need going into the 2025 draft, it wasn’t generally considered as big as other positions like RB, WR, CB, and DT. But when Donovan Ezeiruaku, a first-round prospect by some analyses, fell to the Cowboys in the second round, they had to act on that value. Even with that big addition to the pass rush, though, nobody really thought of him as a potential Parsons replacement. If anything, he was seen as the future Robin to Parsons’ Batman, likely replacing Fowler in 2026.
It hasn’t hurt that, at least according to training camp observers, Ezeiruaku was a menace for the Cowboys’ offensive line. But even still, we never linked his immediate impact to Parsons’ future. It just accelerated the idea of him taking snaps from Fowler, or maybe making Williams expendable.
The rookie wasn’t the only standout pass rusher in Oxnard, though. James Houston, who only signed with Dallas about a week before camp, emerged as one of the MVPs of August. After strong camp reports and preseason performances, even being called “unblockable” by Brian Schottenheimer, Houston fought his way onto the Cowboys’ 53-man roster.
Even on Tuesday, though, we still didn’t imagine Parsons being gone. Even after the Cowboys went long with six DEs on the 53, we assumed it was either that they liked Houston that strongly or were maybe trying to find a trade partner for Williams. Little did we know that the front office’s decision was made, in no small part, because they anticipated Parsons’ departure. While trade talks with the Packers developed quickly, things certainly were in motion by Tuesday afternoon.
Nobody is saying that Ezeiruaku is going to be Parsons. Generational talents don’t grow on trees, even the Manning family, and Parsons was arguably the most special defensive talent the Cowboys have drafted during Jerry Jones’ ownership. But you don’t have to be Canton material to be an effective pass rusher for a winning team. And for all the money that the league’s top sack artists have made in the last 25 years, you don’t see a lot of Super Bowl rings on their fingers.
In moving on from Parsons, the Cowboys are leaning on this perceived depth at defensive end. They’re also showing confidence in the man they’ve handed the defensive keys to.
Matt Eberflus
In the post-trade press conference, Eberflus’ ability to create QB pressure through scheme was one of the cited reasons for making the deal. Last year, his Bears defense had the league’s seventh-highest pressure rate despite their sack leader, Montez Sweat, only having 5.5 in 16 games. It was a team effort, and the Cowboys believe that Eberflus’ system will allow their wealth of pass rushers to thrive.
That’s not just at DE, either. We’ve talked about it since spring; DT Osa Odighizuwa stands to have a breakout year under his new coordinator. Eberflus schemes his DTs to get pressure, not just control gaps, and Odighizuwa should get more opportunities to attack than Mike Zimmer or Dan Quinn ever gave him. It should also benefit his new teammate, Kenny Clark, plus athletic tackles Solomon Thomas and Perrion Winfrey.
Now, does Eberflus hate losing his most talented player in Parsons? Yeah, probably. But at the very least, he’s spent the summer working without him. As Parsons sat out of camp and preseason during the contract negotiations with “back issues”, Eberflus got better prepared for life without him. Jerry wouldn’t admit when the idea of trading Parsons really caught fire internally, so we don’t know when the defensive coaches started truly planning around that. But Parsons’ absence over the last month makes it easier to adapt.
Without question, Matt Eberflus’ job just got harder. But whereas Dan Quinn’s success in Dallas was greatly linked to having Micah Parsons, Eberflus will get even more credit now if the Cowboys’ defense performs. And if it doesn’t, the loss of Parsons may actually shield him from criticism. The Jones boys will feel a lot more of that heat.
