Jerry Jones stirred up a storm when he alluded to the Logan Wilson trade before it happened, and expectations were high when the Dallas Cowboys brought him in at the deadline. However, he never came close to meeting expectations as he made just one start in seven appearances.
The Cowboys were expecting to see a linebacker who would raise the floor of their defense the same way he did in Cincinnati, but that player never showed up. And Jones already called it quits on that failed experiment, as Dallas released Wilson in the first move of the Christian Parker era.
Now that Wilson is gone, Dallas badly needs linebacker help, which opens the window of opportunity for Parker to put his connections to work. If only there were a star linebacker that Parker has connections to that'll be available in free agency in the coming weeks. Oh, wait, there is.
Parker’s vision for this Cowboys defense is to become more versatile and athletic. With that in mind, and given the glaring need at linebacker, a Nakobe Dean-to-Dallas pairing makes almost too much sense to ignore.
Nakobe Dean reunion with Christian Parker makes too much sense for the Dallas Cowboys
After spending the last two seasons with Parker in Philadelphia, Dean makes a lot of sense for the Cowboys. Not only does signing him weaken the defense of a hated division rival, but he fills a major need. And he's only 25, so this wouldn't be a short-term fix to a long-term issue for Parker's unit.
Even though he's dealt with his fair share of injury woes, the Georgia product was the heart and soul of the Eagles' defense that has been among the best in football. He's on the smaller side for an off-ball LB, but his IQ and athleticism would add some juice to a Dallas defense in desperate need of it.
Dean's 92.3 pass rush grade ranked third among all linebackers in 2025, per Pro Football Focus, but the 2022 third-round pick is a jack-of-all-trades defender. He's solid in coverage and a good tackler in space, so he has a lot to offer a defense whose only viable starting LB is always hurt.
This makes too much sense because of his situation in Philly. The Eagles don't have the cap space to retain him, and it would be a weird choice for Howie Roseman to heavily invest in another linebacker, especially after the have his replacement waiting in the wings in 2025 first-rounder Jihaad Campbell.
The tandem of Dean and DeMarvion Overshown (assuming he can stay on the field) would be nasty for years to come, especially if they draft someone like Ohio State phenom Sonny Styles.
Parker has a golden opportunity to help turn around the Cowboys' defense with one signing, so he better take his shot.