Dallas Cowboys, led by Dak Prescott and powered by the duo of George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb, put together one of the most lethal offenses in the NFL. While the offense gave the Cowboys the edge, it was neutralized by the disastrous defense, which allowed 511 points, the most in the NFL.
Jerry Jones, unlike his wait-and-see approach from previous years, decided to address the issues and go all in to end that 30-year Super Bowl drought. All of this began with the Micah Parsons trade.
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Parsons entered the final year of his rookie contract seeking an extension. However, the negotiations were halted after a disagreement over Parsons' agent's involvement. This eventually led to Parsons requesting a trade, and the Cowboys trading him to the Green Bay Packers. The trade sent shockwaves through the league.
This also led to a major defensive overhaul. Rather than committing to the record-breaking $188 million extension, the Cowboys used the opportunity to reshape their defense, signing Jalen Thompson and acquiring Rashan Gary. Most recently, they extended Quinnen Williams on a three year, $105 million contract that runs through 2030.
Micah Parsons' brilliance helped mask some of the defensive weaknesses the Cowboys had. But this rebuild has given the defense more balance. Dak Prescott has acknowledged and praised the changes brought by Jerry Jones.
Addressing the changes, Cowboys quarterback said, "This is as urgent as I've ever felt Jerry. Sure, there's times he's said it, and then we've looked up and he hadn't done much in free agency. Or this, this and that. But starting from free agency, they started doing things they hadn't done."
"And it's kudos to [head coach Brian Schottenheimer] and [vice president of player personnel] Will [McClay] and the whole team, but it's also Jerry making that decision of being aggressive and trying to go out and get what he wants. It definitely feels different," he added.
There's definitely a heightened sense of expectation around the Dak Prescott-led Cowboys. However, it remains to be seen how the newly rebuilt Cowboys will handle those expectations.
