When the Dallas Cowboys shipped Micah Parsons off to the land of piney woods and squeaky cheese last summer, they didn’t quite know what they had left in the edge rush department. For years Parsons represented the position group to the highest degree, establishing himself as one of the best in the game. He was the alpha and the omega of the edge room and a player who made things easier for everyone around him. To make things even more unpredictable, Parsons' departure coincided with DeMarcus Lawrence's, pushing the Cowboys headfirst into the unknown.
Yet, the cabinet wasn’t empty. Sam Williams was an aspiring talent, Donovan Ezeiruaku looked like a draft steal and Dante Fowler was a double-digit sack mercenary, so there was hope things would work out. As luck would have it, things did not work out. All three aforementioned players underachieved one way or another and the Cowboys were left scrambling for answers, midseason.
Looking back, it was clear the timing was off on everything; from the time of the Parsons trade, to the testing of internal options, to the hunt for emergency solutions, everything seemed to be too little and too late.
In 2026, Dallas had a chance to fix things at edge rusher. They had a full offseason to strategize, they had money to spend in free agency, and they had picks in the draft. But instead of going all-in at edge rusher, they handled things modestly, adding Rashan Gary in a trade with the Green Bay Packers, drafting Malachi Lawrence in the first round, but largely banking on a scheme change to unlock roster carryovers.
Based on pure personnel, things look mildly better today than they looked at the beginning of last season, but it's not the level of attention many wanted from the home team. There’s a good chance the Cowboys are still one good pass rusher away from being complete and the clock is ticking.
Yet, the cabinet wasn’t empty. Sam Williams was an aspiring talent, Donovan Ezeiruaku looked like a draft steal and Dante Fowler was a double-digit sack mercenary, so there was hope things would work out. As luck would have it, things did not work out. All three aforementioned players underachieved one way or another and the Cowboys were left scrambling for answers, midseason.
Looking back, it was clear the timing was off on everything; from the time of the Parsons trade, to the testing of internal options, to the hunt for emergency solutions, everything seemed to be too little and too late.
In 2026, Dallas had a chance to fix things at edge rusher. They had a full offseason to strategize, they had money to spend in free agency, and they had picks in the draft. But instead of going all-in at edge rusher, they handled things modestly, adding Rashan Gary in a trade with the Green Bay Packers, drafting Malachi Lawrence in the first round, but largely banking on a scheme change to unlock roster carryovers.
Based on pure personnel, things look mildly better today than they looked at the beginning of last season, but it's not the level of attention many wanted from the home team. There’s a good chance the Cowboys are still one good pass rusher away from being complete and the clock is ticking.
15 days ago
