The Cowboys have spent the first five weeks looking like a team with enough talent to win big, but not enough results to show for it. At 2-3, Dallas has struggled to put it together, and the defense has been a major problem - especially in Monday night’s Week 5 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when the Bucs scored just 24 points but still piled up 419 total yards.
That kind of performance has only sharpened the focus on what the Cowboys no longer have: Micah Parsons. Dallas traded him after a summer contract standoff, sending him to Green Bay just before the regular season began. With the Packers set to face the Cowboys this week, the deal has been a talking point again, even with Parsons sidelined by injury.
And according to a recent report, Jerry Jones is still feeling the weight of that move.
“He knows he (messed up) trading ([Micah] Parsons) (to Green Bay) last year,” the GM told La Canfora, H/T Heavy. “That haunts him.”
Because Parsons is injured right now, the criticism around Dallas’ decision hasn’t been as loud as it might otherwise be. But once he’s back, the story figure to get much louder - especially if he returns looking like the player everyone expects him to be.
For now, the Cowboys are left dealing with the reality of a shaky start and a defense that hasn’t held up. And if Parsons comes back to form, Jones will be forced to keep living with the trade that reportedly still sticks with him.
In Other News...
Jerry Jones Just Added More Fuel To Cowboys Packers Tension
Jerry Jones opened an old wound in the Cowboys-Packers rivalry by revisiting one of his stranger memories from roughly 25 years ago, when a Packers fan reacted to a Dallas win by pressing her bare backside against his car window while his grandchildren were inside. Jones said the moment stuck with him, and he even described the cold as part of the reason the fans skin left a print on the glass. It was the kind of story only Jones could tell with a straight face, and it landed with the same mix of humor and needle that has long surrounded these two franchises.
The timing made it even more pointed, with the Cowboys and Packers already linked by recent roster business, including the trade of Micah Parsons to Green Bay. For Dallas fans, the rivalry has never needed much help finding extra edge, but Jones managed to add another layer just by digging up a bizarre episode from the past. Between the old memory and the present-day connection, the Cowboys- Packers thread feels as active as ever. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys First-Round Miss Looks Even Worse After Mazi Smith Setback
Mazi Smiths rocky NFL path has taken another turn, and it only adds to the regret around Dallas 2023 first-round gamble. Drafted to help shore up a run defense that needed immediate reinforcement, Smith never found a steady footing with the Cowboys, and his departure has only underlined how little impact the pick ultimately produced.
His latest stop ended quickly, too. Smith was released by the Miami Dolphins after time on their practice squad and a single game appearance, leaving him with four NFL games across three teams since leaving Dallas and still no tackle to show for it. For the Cowboys, it is another reminder of how a top investment in the trenches has yet to pay off. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Backfield Shuffle Says Plenty After Frustrating Week 5 Loss
The Cowboys kept their roster churn moving after a frustrating Week 5 loss, bringing back running back Emari Demercado to the practice squad while also adding guard Nick Leverett. Dallas also made room by releasing cornerback Alex Austin from the same group, a reminder that the back end of the roster is still very much in flux as the team looks for answers and depth at a few spots.
Demercado is a familiar name for the Cowboys by now, with NFL experience from his time with the Arizona Cardinals and two game appearances for Dallas in the 2026 season. Moves like this usually do not grab much attention on their own, but in a week when the offense is under a microscope, every practice-squad addition feels like part of a larger search for stability. [Read more 🡒]