The Dallas Cowboys' defense was awful overall with Micah Parsons in 2024. Their road performance without Parsons against the Philadelphia Eagles in Thursday night's Week 1 2025 season opener wasn't much different.
The Cowboys finished No. 31 in scoring defense (27.5 average points allowed per game) and No. 28 in run defense (137.1 average rushing yards allowed per game) last season. They were No. 17 in pass defense and third in sacks with 52, with Parsons producing 12 of those.
Dallas gave up 24 points while just scoring 20 in the season-opening loss to Philadelphia. The defense gave up 158 rushing yards, with QB Jalen Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley taking their turns with chunk runs and touchdowns.
Having Parsons, also known for shaky run defense, would have made little difference. The Eagles ran 38 times, or on 61 percent of their offensive plays. Hurts had to drop back only 24 times, getting sacked once.
Here's more on why Thursday night's showing against the defending Super Bowl champions proved the Parsons deal was the correct call for Dallas.
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Cowboys run defense vs. Eagles proves Micah Parsons trade was right move
In two blowout victories over Dallas last season, Philadelphia scored a combined 75 points and rushed for a combined 366 yards. Dak Prescott, who missed both games, would have just made those 34-6 and 41-7 routes look a little less lopsided.
Without Parsons, the Cowboys' best two defensive players are their cornerbacks, Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland, the latter getting his lucrative contract extension right before the season. The Eagles didn't need to bother forcing the ball to either top wide receiver, A.J. Brown (one catch on one target) or DeVonta Smith (three catches on three targets).
Diggs and Bland didn't get their chance to make game-changing impact plays. The Eagles also were content not to pass much downfield, except picking the ideal spot to pick on third corner Kaiir Elam with a 51-yard complete deep middle shot to Jahan Dotson.
What would have happened with Parsons? Hurts might have felt a little more pressure, but keep in mind Parsons did sack Hurts twice in a game in 2024 with not much overall impact.
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The bottom line, not paying Parsons and trading Parsons was then the smart, right thing to do for the Cowboys. If he couldn't have a part in trying to bridge the gap between them, their reigning Super Bowl 59 champion rivals anytime soon, he wasn't worth stretching Dallas' money.
Prescott's play in the first effort and a surprise strong effort from the Cowboys' new look running game made opening night look a lot closer than it was. Even with Miles Sanders fumbling and CeeDee Lamb dropping any shot at a Dallas win, Philadelphia didn't ever lose control of the game after taking its first lead, 21-17, just before halftime.
The Eagles knew they could run it when they needed to move the chains and in short-yardage situations. They also knew they could pivot to play off that and trust Hurts passing. Their strength on the elite offensive line was bound to wear down the Cowboys' front four in the second half.
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Hurts was cool and comfortable for most of the game, not worrying about Parsons anymore on the Cowboys and having faith in his dominant tackles, Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson. He could also pull off some "Tush Pushes" without Parsons trying to fly over and disrupt the Eagles' signature short Hurts running plays.
Parsons will raise the pass-rushing quotient of his new current team, the Packers, a contender looking for some extra pop in the loaded NFC North. They are an 11-6 wild-card playoff team from a season ago, trying to improve.
Hurt by Prescott going down with another key injury during the season, the Cowboys went 7-10 in 2024. They are not expected to be competition to dethrone the Eagles, much like many recent years with a playoff berth, even a stretch.
The Cowboys were a bad defensive team. They are a bad defensive team, maybe trending toward league-worst in 2025, channeling some of the worst defenses in team history, including 2013 and 2020.
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Prescott can be perfect. Sanders can secure the ball, and Lamb can catch every target. They still are bound to be dragged down by the Dallas defense.
Owner/GM Jerry Jones moved Parsons for two first-round draft picks and an experienced nose tackle for their front four, Kenny Clark. He avoided sending Parsons to the Eagles to keep him out of the division.
Keeping Parsons as expensive window dressing for this mess? That would further handcuff the Cowboys from moving toward improvement. Now that they paid the "cheaper" star in Bland vs. Parsons, it makes sense.
The Cowboys need to have some idea that this isn't a Super Bowl team they have. The four points aren't the true gap between the team. It's more like a series of bridges. Parsons wasn't needed to prove that point.