No Micah, big problem? Early results of blockbuster Packers-Cowboys trade
The August trade that moved Micah Parsons from the Cowboys to the Packers sent shockwaves through the NFL and started a new era for both teams. Here's how Dallas and Green Bay are doing seven weeks into the 2025 season.
Parsons and Packers: The perfect marriage
Parsons' impact in Green Bay has been what everyone could've expected from a lifetime player landing in a creative scheme filled with quality starters. After a three-sack outing Sunday, Parsons has 5.5 sacks in six games. The 26-year-old ranks third in the NFL in pressures despite battling a back injury that limited his workload early on. He's also collected 16 tackles (five for loss) and 13 quarterback hits.
Parsons makes his teammates' lives a lot easier by attracting double-teams or possibly forcing holding penalties (some of which referees should be calling more often). Those are the only ways you can contain the four-time Pro Bowler, who ranks second in pass-rush win rate, according to PFF. Entering Week 7, Parsons faced double-teams at the second-highest rate among edge rushers, and no other player at his position drew more triple-teams.
Packers' defense looks dangerous
Beyond highlights and standout stats, Parsons has provided Green Bay with an inspiring combination of talent and energy that could make him the missing piece in the playoffs. The Packers have just one postseason win in the past two years. A healthy Parsons should help the franchise get over the hump.
With Parsons in town, Green Bay is 4-1-1, good for first in the NFC. Defensively, it ranks third in yards/play, second in pressures, and sixth in sacks per game. However, the Packers are just average in EPA/play allowed after placing fourth in the category in 2024. But there's no doubt that Parsons makes them more dangerous. Against the run, the club is allowing only 3.5 yards per carry and 76.5 rushing yards per contest.
Even when Parsons doesn't play at his best - like in his revenge game versus the Cowboys on Sept. 28 - he's opened up lanes for teammates. Rashan Gary has never posted double-digit sacks in a season, but he's on pace to finish 2025 with 15. Lineman Devonte Wyatt is also on track to have his most productive campaign despite missing two outings with a knee issue. The same goes for 2023 first-round pick Lukas Van Ness, who looked good before injuring his foot two weeks ago.
That's a major difference from last year, when Gary led the team with 7.5 sacks and no other Packer had more than five.
How's Dallas holding up?
It's been a rough season for Dallas' defensive unit. Star corner Trevon Diggs recently admitted the Cowboys "have no identity" defensively, per Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News. The team has yet to allow fewer than 20 points in a game this campaign. It gave up 22 twice, and that was against the winless New York Jets and Washington Commanders, who lost starting quarterback Jayden Daniels midway through the matchup.
On paper, the Cowboys' defense still has enough talent to be decent. However, injuries, the lack of star power, and a flawed system coordinated by Matt Eberflus have become issues reflected in their record. Jerry Jones' club has Dak Prescott playing at an MVP level, yet it's only 3-3-1.
The 2025 Cowboys rank 31st in yards/play and 30th in points allowed while recording the eighth-most missed tackles, according to Football Reference. They're also 30th with 0.15 EPA/play allowed, a dramatic drop from their NFL-best 0.07 EPA/play allowed from 2021-24 with Parsons on the field, per TruMedia.
The Parsons trade was the second significant blow to Dallas' defense in as many years. An excellent unit not long ago, the Cowboys lost coordinator Dan Quinn to a head coaching position with the Washington Commanders. Not even Parsons could save the 2024 Cowboys, who were devastated by injuries and allowed the second-most points in the league. They ranked in the top three for sacks, though. This year, they're 17th.
Can they at least stop the run?
Jones didn't want to give Parsons the same four-year, $186-million extension he signed with the Packers. Instead, Jones tried to explain the shocking Parsons trade by suggesting that Dallas needed to "stop the run." So, have the Cowboys at least been able to do that after moving on from their perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate? The answer is no.
Numbers show that Dallas may actually be just as bad against the rush.
| Cowboys' run defense | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Yards/Game | 137.1 | 141.3 |
| Yards/Carry | 4.8 | 4.7 |
The Cowboys' run defense was solid for at least two seasons in the Parsons era, ranking third in defensive rushing EPA between 2022 and 2023. Dallas places 28th in that metric this year, up from 31st in '24.
How about Kenny Clark
Clark will forever be linked to Parsons after Green Bay sent its longtime defensive lineman and two future first-round picks to Dallas as part of the trade. A quality starter and standout run defender for most of his career, Clark has also been good as a Cowboy. He had one of his worst NFL performances against the Carolina Panthers two weeks ago (like most Cowboys defenders), but the 30-year-old has collected 15 tackles (two for loss), four QB hits, and 1.5 sacks.
Here's how Parsons and Clark compare to their new teammates this year in five key metrics: Sacks, average time to sack, pressures, tackles for loss on run plays, and havoc plays (combination of sacks, tackles for loss, forced fumbles, interceptions, and pass breakups).
Clark is the type of veteran Dallas needed to upgrade its defense after the unit's disappointing 2024 campaign. His experience and leadership stand out. The problem will always be who the Cowboys got rid of to get him.