When the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers take the field Sunday night, there’ll be plenty of chatter about their blockbuster trade centered around Micah Parsons.
Prior to the start of the 2025 season, Green Bay sent defensive lineman Kenny Clark, a 2026 first-round pick and a 2027 first-round pick to Dallas in exchange for All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons. As part of this deal, Parsons secured a four-year, $188 million extension with the Packers.
“I never wanted this chapter to end, but not everything was in my control,” Parsons said after the trade was announced. “My heart has always been here, and it still is. Through it all, I never made any demands. I never asked for anything more than fairness. I only asked that the person I trust to negotiate my contract be part of the process.”
Unfortunately, Parsons won’t be suiting up for this weekend’s “revenge game” against the Cowboys since he’s still recovering from a torn ACL. Make no mistake though, the spotlight remains firmly on Parsons.
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On Saturday afternoon, NFL reporter Ed Werder shared statistics that illustrate just how badly Parsons is missed in Dallas.
The Cowboys averaged 1.72 takeaways per game when Parsons was on their roster. They’ve averaged 0.64 takeaways per game since the start of the 2025 season.
When Parsons was on the Cowboys, their defense had three or more sacks in 48.5% of their games. That number has dropped to 31.8% since they traded their No. 1 pass rusher away.
Even though Dallas used some of the capital from the Parsons trade to acquire defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, that hasn’t erased their problems on that side of the ball.
The Cowboys defense is shaping up to be all-time bad.
Through the first five games of the season, the Cowboys are giving up 27.2 points and 400.2 yards per game. They’ve looked so lost on defense that Jerry Jones hired Mike Pettine as a senior assistant for defensive coordinator Christian Parker.
“I’m just obviously trying to hit the ground running here,” Pettine said. “I feel like I’m trying to sip water from a firehose but trying to get caught up on all the film and make observations here and there. But I’m just here to support him, and both him and [head coach Brian Schottenheimer] and the rest of the defensive staff, in any way I can.”
We’ll see if the Cowboys get back on track this Sunday at Lambeau Field.
