Cowboys Defense Keeps Making The Micah Parsons Debate Even Worse

The Cowboys' controversial trade of Micah Parsons resurfaces as a point of contention amid their disappointing 2026 season, drawing sharp criticism from NFL analysts.

Brian Baldinger didn’t bother softening his take on the Cowboys’ decision to move Micah Parsons, and after Dallas’ latest rough stretch, he went straight for the jugular.

On Friday’s appearance on Pardon My Take, the NFL insider blasted the trade that sent Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in 2025 in exchange for Kenny Clark. Baldinger pointed to Dallas’ defensive problems and said the team is still feeling the loss of a player who helped keep the Cowboys in playoff position when healthy.

“They’re giving up these tremendous plays, these big plays outside of Quinnen Williams. You’re not getting any pass rush.

Like they still miss Micah Parsons. Like it was still the dumbest thing they’ve ever done as an organization.

Not after the second year, they should have just signed him up for a lifetime contract and not let them out of the building because you can go trade for all these guys: Rashawn Gary, draft Malachi Lawrence. You can do all this stuff.

None of them are Micah Parsons,” Baldinger said.

Dallas’ choice to send Parsons to Green Bay turned heads at the time, and the move has only drawn more scrutiny with the Cowboys struggling again in 2026. Parsons missed most of the 2025 season because of injury, but the team still failed to reach the playoffs.

Now the Cowboys are sitting at 3-5, which leaves them second in the NFC East. They’re ahead of the Washington Commanders and the Philadelphia Eagles, but behind the New York Giants. In the conference picture, Dallas is 13th, with only the Commanders and the New Orleans Saints below them and the Arizona Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons above them.

The defensive issues aren’t going away on their own, and Dallas has to clean them up quickly if it wants any shot at the postseason. The next chance comes in Week 9, when the Cowboys hit the road to face the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. ET.

In Other News...

Brandon Aubrey Just Added Fuel To A Cowboys Offensive Debate

Brandon Aubrey has become one of the more interesting voices around the Cowboys offense, even if his job description remains the same. In a recent interview, the kicker talked through how he prepares and how he sees the flow of games, offering a perspective that naturally comes with standing on the sideline and watching drives unfold. He stopped short of speaking for the coaching staff, but his read on the situation was clear enough: once Dallas gets into field goal range, the decision-making can get more conservative.

That view lands in the middle of a broader debate about how aggressive the Cowboys should be when drives stall near scoring territory. Through Week 9, Dallas had attempted the fewest fourth-down conversions inside field goal range, a number that fits the cautious approach Aubrey described. It is the kind of detail that does not settle the argument on its own, but it does add another layer to how the Cowboys are weighing risk, points and the trust they place in their own offense. [Read more 🡒]

Jerry Jones Is Defending A Cowboys Issue Fans Know Too Well

Jerry Jones pushed back this week on the familiar criticism that the Cowboys are reluctant to spend big when it comes to coaching, saying paying top dollar for successful coaches has never been the issue in Dallas. It was the kind of message Jones has delivered before, but it landed at a time when the Cowboys are trying to steady themselves for a game against the Indianapolis Colts and keep the focus on football rather than the usual questions about how the organization operates.

The timing matters because Dallas is already juggling roster concerns, with injuries thinning out the depth chart and the defense still looking for more disruption up front. With the NFL trade deadline approaching, the Cowboys are at least exploring the possibility of adding a pressure player to help that side of the ball, a move that would fit the urgency of the moment even if the bigger debate around how Dallas builds and supports its coaches is far from settled. [Read more 🡒]

Cowboys Rookie Surge Comes With One Growing Concern On Defense

Eight games into the season, the Cowboys rookie defensive class has given the front office plenty to like, even if the picture is not perfectly clean yet. Caleb Downs has settled in with steady, reliable work and a knack for showing up around the ball, while Jaishawn Barham flashed early enough to suggest real upside before his recent play cooled off. There is enough there to believe Dallas found some long-term pieces, especially with the way the group has already contributed in meaningful spots.

The concern is that the rookies are no longer all trending in the same direction, which matters on a defense that needs young players to keep growing as the season wears on. Malachi Lawrence had also been part of that encouraging start before an ankle issue knocked him out of the mix, and now the Cowboys are left balancing what they have already seen against what still needs to develop. For a team trying to build depth and consistency on that side of the ball, the early returns are promising, but the next stretch will say a lot about how sustainable this rookie surge really is. [Read more 🡒]