After trading Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday, the Dallas Cowboys have some questions to answer regarding their long-term future. It’s still possible that the Cowboys could be a decent team this year, but they certainly aren’t as talented as they were a few days ago.Â
Ultimately, the Cowboys will have to find a way to replace Parsons, and that may be easier than some think.Â
With two first-round picks acquired in the deal with the Packers, the Cowboys now have an opportunity to go out and make a huge move in the draft next year by having an extra first-round pick. When examining who they could select with one of those picks, Fox Sports has them choosing Rueben Bain, an edge rusher from Miami who recorded 7.5 sacks as a freshman.
âBain was a freshman All-American in 2023, but his sophomore season was hampered by injuries. He has elite burst and is relentless with his hands. While he’s no Micah Parsons, he’s the same height as him (6-foot-3) and has similar athletic traits when it comes to pass-rushing,â they wrote.Â
Replacing Micah Parsons in the NFL Draft
The Dallas Cowboys picked the best time to move on from Parsons, even though it likely wasn’t the right decision to trade him. At the end of the day, the Cowboys did what they believed was the right thing to do, and despite how difficult it is to justify their move, they made it and can only look towards the future. However, CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards doesn’t believe the trade was as bad as it sounds, noting that with the edge rushers available next year, including Bain, the Cowboys should be more than fine moving forward if they land one of them.Â
âEdge rusher outwardly appears to be a position of strength in the 2026 NFL Draft. Whether it is Bain, Auburn’s Keldric Faulk, Clemson’s T.J. Parker or another prospect, Dallas should be in position to address the position. Bain is a sawed off, powerful pass rusher. Over the course of two seasons, he has amassed 11 sacks, 73 pressures and three forced fumbles,â he wrote.
Cowboys Have a Good Player in Kenny Clark
The Dallas Cowboys also got a decent player, with Kenny Clark coming back in return. Jerry Jones noted that he’s elite at stopping the run, but PFF didn’t have him as that over the past few years. Still, as Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports noted, it’s possible that he could eventually be that again.Â
With how poor the Cowboys’ run defense was a year ago, it really can’t get much worse.Â
âWhat they lose from a pass-rushing perspective, Jones, who said as much in his Thursday night presser after the trade, hopes to gain an edge at stopping the run with the arrival of Clark. Last season, the Cowboys surrendered 137.1 rushing yards per game (29th in the NFL), 4.8 yards per carry (30th), and 25 rushing touchdowns (32nd). Given how poor the run defense was, Clark should help some. How much? Well, Jones will need him to turn back the clock to earlier in his career, as he’s registered subpar run defense grades over the last few seasons, per Pro Football Focus,â Sullivan wrote.
Regardless, as it’s even clearer than it was a few days ago, the Cowboys need help on that side of the football, and should address it in the 2026 NFL draft.
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