When news broke last August that Micah Parsons was being traded to the Green Bay Packers, many believed that the Dallas Cowboys were making a huge mistake. But after a hotly debated contract dispute followed by a trade request, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys took advantage of his value and received a ton in return.
Now, almost a year later, the script is starting to flip.
“Both the Packers and Cowboys are projected to win the same number of games… I would make an argument by October or Thanksgiving, the Dallas Cowboys, it could be official won the Micah Parsons deal,” Colin Cowherd said on The Herd.
Cowboys have already turned Parsons trade into a haul of young talent
In return for Parsons, Dallas got Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks in 2026 and '27. In the draft, they used the '26 pick on edge rusher Malachi Lawrence out of UCF, who has the traits to become an elite pass rusher.
But it wasn’t Lawrence’s selection on draft day that impressed Cowherd the most. It was the first pick they made, Caleb Downs, a pick that more than likely wouldn’t have been possible if Parsons had played for Dallas last season.
“By the way, when they traded Micah initially, the Cowboys got worse. That gave them a better draft pick. That draft pick became Caleb Downs- to me, the steal of the draft. I think there’s an argument he could be the best player in the draft. You don’t get that if the Cowboys had 2 or 3 more wins.”
Downs still has to prove it at the next level. But Cowherd is justifiably excited about his potential. It was a story that the Ohio State safety was falling too far on draft day before Dallas traded up to select him 11th overall.
The 2025 defense will forever be known as one of the worst in history, but it was a sacrifice. The Parsons trade wasn't going to be graded overnight, but we know now what the Cowboys got for it.
It may be too early to say that the Cowboys won the Parsons trade. However, things seem to be trending in that direction. They now have a reliable tackle in Clark, and two players with massive potential in Downs and Lawrence. Not to mention, they used the '27 pick to trade for Quinnen Williams, who they recently signed to a three-year extension.
All of the assets acquired from the Parsons trade have now been used, though. Jones and the Cowboys wasted no time in repositioning the team for a playoff push. This is to say that a lot is on the line for Dallas, and they’re counting on the assets to pay off.
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