The Cowboys closed the book on the Micah Parsons trade during draft weekend. The team used the extra picks to make even more trades.
In the end. . .
The Cowboys sent the All-Pro edge rusher to the Packers. They traded defensive tackle Mazi Smith and a 2026 second-round pick to the Jets (later traded to the Lions) and the better of their two 2027 first-round picks to the Jets.
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The Cowboys acquired defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, defensive lineman Kenny Clark, outside linebacker Malachi Lawrence (23rd overall), cornerback Devin Moore (114th overall) and defensive lineman LT Overton (137th overall).
The team has walked away from Parsons feeling as if they have won the trade.
“We feel really good about it,” executive vice president Stephen Jones told Adam Schein on Mad Dog Sports Radio. “Obviously, much respect for Micah and what he stands for and how he plays and the caliber of player he is. At the same time, we feel good about what we’ve added via that trade. You look at a guy like Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark. They’re alpha players, who are not only great players on the field, but they’re leaders in the meeting rooms, how about they go about their business in the offseason. Just bring great leadership to this team.
“I just feel very optimistic that we have the right pieces in place. Ultimately, the decision we made was that one player is not worth four or five good ones, and we feel like that’s where we’re going to end up here in a good spot. We had that opportunity there. Didn’t feel like we were one player away last year, but I certainly feel like we’re putting the pieces together to give us an opportunity to go do what our fans deserve, what we want, which is to go and try to win the big trophy.”
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Cowboys owner Jerry Jones predicted after the trade that Dallas would turn the trade into “three, four, five, six players for one.”
It’s unlikely that any one of the players the Cowboys acquired is as good as Parsons, but Williams is only 28 and has four Pro Bowls and is a one-time All-Pro. Clark is a three-time Pro Bowler.
The Cowboys, who are switching to a 3-4 defense under new coordinator Christian Parker, will have only three of the same starters from Week 1 of last season in what turned out to be a historically bad defense. If the Cowboys can have even a mediocre defense in 2026, they could contend, even without an All-Pro edge rusher.
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