There aren't many moves in Dallas Cowboys history that sting as much as the Micah Parsons trade. Yes, the Cowboys' defense may be much better off without giving him a record-breaking contract extension since they were able to use that money to make their defense deeper, but the wound won't heal until Dallas' pass rush is elite again.
Every time Parsons so much as records a sack with the Packers, Dallas is reminded of what Jerry Jones passed up by sending him to Green Bay. In so many other lifetimes, Micah Parsons would've been a Cowboys lifer.
And once again, Cowboys fans are dealing with the heartache that comes with trading a generational pass-rusher. They've been consistently dunked on by the media for making the deal, but another layer of the Parsons trade has now been peeled back, and this one comes straight from league circles.
Micah Parsons' spot in edge rusher rankings is a difficult reminder for the Cowboys
Every year, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler surveys NFL executives, coaches, and scouts on the 10 best edge rushers in the NFL. And not only did Parsons check in second behind Myles Garrett, the Cowboys' current edge rushers didn't even get so much as a mention on this list.
"There are two guys that never really get blocked in the NFL, and it's those two guys -- Myles and Micah," an NFL coordinator said. "You do what you can with movements and quick game, and it's not enough."
There are slim pickings on the players the Cowboys could have mentioned here. Malachi Lawrence has yet to play an NFL snap, Donovan Ezeiruaku is only in Year 2, and Rashan Gary is more known for stopping the run than terrorizing QBs. And while the trio has high potential, they don't hold a candle to Parsons.
In order to convey his point, Fowler noted that the three-time All-Pro is one of five players in NFL history to record at least 65 sacks through his first five seasons. His company? T.J. Watt, J.J. Watt, Derrick Thomas, and Reggie White. Yeah, his guy is on a gold jacket trajectory and everyone knows it.
The Penn State product is the only player in the NFL to have 12 or more sacks in each of his first five seasons, and he still would've led the Cowboys in sacks by a wide margin last year despite missing the last month of the season. And a guy like this is able to change the entire complexion of a defense.
Any reasonable Cowboys fan should still miss Micah Parsons. It's hard not to miss a generational talent, so once again, this is a painful reminder of what we're missing out on.
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