Cowboys’ Micah Parsons trade one year later was worth the headache after all

A year ago today, all of the Dallas Cowboys fans' worst nightmares came true. After a long, contentious, dramatic offseason between the front office and Micah Parsons, the team traded the star pass rusher to the Green Bay Packers for Kenny Clark and two first-round picks. 

At the time, it was a devastating pill for fans to swallow. Parsons had won Defensive Rookie of the Year, made every Pro Bowl, and both All-Pro teams during his four years in Dallas. Many thought that it was a misstep by Jerry Jones and the front office.

However, after an atrocious defensive season, the Cowboys are going into 2026 with a fresh look. Largely thanks to the assets they acquired in the Parsons trade. 

Cowboys reaping the rewards of the Parsons trade

Firstly, the player Dallas got back for Parsons, Kenny Clark, is a very good, established veteran on the defensive line. He made three Pro Bowls with the Packers and has started in 143 out of 157 career games. In his first year with the Cowboys, Clark had 3 sacks, 6 tackles for a loss and nine QB hits. 

A few months after the Parsons trade, Jones and the Cowboys used the 2027 first-round pick they acquired from the Packers to supplement a trade for New York Jets star Quinnen Williams. He failed to record a sack in seven games, but he recorded a pick against the Vikings in Week 15.

Dallas also recently extended Williams to a three-year, $105.9 million contract to be a focal point of their defense this upcoming season. 

The Cowboys then used the 2026 first-round pick they acquired from the Parsons trade to draft Caleb Downs. The rookie safety has been a hype machine throughout camp and could be an elite defender on day one. 

Of course, Jones and the Cowboys made savvy moves this offseason that are completely disconnected from the Parsons trade. They used their real first-round pick to trade back with the Eagles, acquiring more draft capital before selecting Malachi Lawrence out of UCF 23rd overall.

Lawrence is a raw pass rusher and didn’t produce much in college. But his athleticism is through the roof, and he could eventually become a starter on the line. 

On top of this, Devin Moore is an interesting cornerback prospect out of Florida in the fourth round, and the same can be said about defensive tackle LT Overton out of Alabama. The Cowboys also traded for Rashan Gary, another former Packer. Then they signed safety Jalen Thompson and future Hall of Famer Von Miller. 

All in all, a year later, things are looking way better than some Dallas fans may have expected after trading away Parsons. Sometimes it’s hard to see the forest for the trees, and that’s exactly what happened here.

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