The Dallas Cowboys were always going to have a difficult time replacing Micah Parsons. Browns superstar Myles Garrett is the only player in the NFL who can match - and potentially surpass - Parsons' impact on a snap-to-snap basis.
However, the front office and fan base clearly overrated the remaining edge rushers. Sam Williams and Dante Fowler have been huge disappointments, while rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku is still learning how to win consistently as a pro. Jadeveon Clowney will help, but Dallas needs more.
Remember Al-Quadin Muhammad? The Cowboys decided he wasn't good enough to make the 53-man roster last August. He is now dominating with the hated Detroit Lions.
Cowboys snub Al-Quadin Muhammad is now thriving with the Lions
If you watched the Lions beat the Ravens on Monday Night Football, you saw Muhammad take over the game. While Detroit's defense as a collective made life difficult for Lamar Jackson, Muhammad spearheaded the performance with 2.5 sacks, two tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, and five pressures.
Muhammad stepped into a prominent role after the Lions placed DE Marcus Davenport on injured reserve, and he was up to the challenge. He ranks 14th out of 153 qualified edge defenders with an 80.9 pass-rush grade, per PFF. The Cowboys could certainly use that right now.
RELATED: Cowboys' Matt Eberflus is officially out of lifelines after Giants' QB bombshell
One caveat is that the EDGE room was relatively deep last year with Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Chauncey Golston, Marshawn Kneeland, and Carl Lawson. Muhammad didn't set the world on fire in training camp last summer, either, and he faced a two-game suspension to start the year.
However, you could've made a case for him playing over K.J. Henry and Tyrus Wheat, who offered positional value as someone who can kick inside on passing downs, but finished the year with a 46.5 PFF defensive grade.
It was a bit puzzling when Muhammad got released, and he wasn't signed back to the practice squad. He's been a solid rotational DL throughout his career.
There's obviously no guarantee that Muhammad would still be with the Cowboys. But it's very interesting that he's now flourishing with the Lions after flaming out in Dallas last summer. Makes you wonder if it's a case of Detroit catching lightning in a bottle or another case of the Cowboys misevaluating/failing to develop another defensive lineman.