It's quite ironic that the Dallas Cowboys are seemingly in the market for an impact pass rusher. A recent report claimed Dallas had inquired about Raiders star defensive end Maxx Crosby. While Las Vegas reportedly has no plan to trade Crosby, we now have a good idea of where Jerry Jones wants to improve the roster.
Of course, the Cowboys wouldn't have to trade for Crosby if they just kept Micah Parsons. Whether it boiled down to Jones' hurt feelings or Parsons not getting along with everyone inside the locker room, or a combination of both, Dallas is sorely missing Parsons' presence off the edge.
It's become clear that Parsons never wanted to leave the Cowboys. He thought the contract saga would end with him signing a new deal. While Jones and Dallas are doing their best to move forward, Parsons took a not-so-subtle shot at his former general manager after the Packers' Week 7 win.
Former Cowboys star Micah Parsons took a clear shot at Jerry Jones
Parsons went on a rant about the NFL's poor officiating. He drew a rare holding call against the Cardinals on a running play, no less. That opened the door for Parsons to throw shade at Jones.
"Yeah, in the run game, yeah,"Â Parsons said. "So I'm pretty decent in the run game."
The runway was almost too perfect for Parsons not to jab Jones, who attempted (and failed) to justify the trade by saying the Cowboys needed to stop the run. That implied that Parsons is a bad run defender, which couldn't be farther from the truth. It's not what he does best, clearly, but that doesn't mean he can't set the edge. He's quite good at it.
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That's where Parsons' quote throws us off. Why stoop to Jerry's level? It's one thing to use Jones' laughable explanation as internal motivation, but there is nothing to gain from trading verbal punches through the media.
Parsons should leave that to Jones, who largely does it to draw a reaction, and let his play do the talking. And let's be honest: his play can talk.
The All-Pro is fresh off being named NFC Defensive Player of the Week after he erupted for a career-high three sacks, eight pressures, four tackles for loss, and four defensive stops against the Cardinals. He has four games this season with a pass-rush grade of 90.0 or higher, per Pro Football Focus. No other player has more than two such games.
Parsons is making Jones look increasingly silly every Sunday. As offended as he is that he was traded, there is no need for him to partake in Jones' media games. It makes him look petty, even if he was right about his run-stopping chops.