Mac Engel: Absence of Micah Parsons is now a curse on terrible Cowboys defense

Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Sep 22, 2025

Published in Football

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FORT WORTH, Texas — A lot of Dallas Cowboys fans, and their players, sure do miss the Micah Parsons podcast.

Not sure what the Dallas Cowboys, their owner or head coach expected when they traded their best defensive player from a bad defense, but what happened in Chicago on Sunday afternoon is the inevitable result.

And if you aren’t tired of hearing about the trade of Parsons, he returns to AT&T Stadium one week from today when the Packers play the Cowboys on NBC’s "Sunday Night Football."

The Chicago Bears started Sunday 0-2, and the Cowboys made them look like they were 200-2. The Bears steamrolled the Cowboys 31-14, and this was the type of game the Cowboys had to steal to have a remote chance of sniffing the playoffs.

Rather than steal anything, the Cowboys defense handed Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams and his friends plenty of room for activities. Williams threw four touchdowns, no interceptions, and had plenty of time to do whatever he wanted.

Without kicker Brandon Aubrey’s AI right leg, the Cowboys are 0-3 right now.

The issues that embarrassed the Cowboys defense in their overtime win one week ago against the New York Giants didn’t improve at all despite the week’s worth of film. Firing the defensive coordinator isn’t going to fix it.

Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus prefers to run a zone defense, which should prevent receivers from running free, or getting behind coverage.

For the second week in a row, neither were much of a problem for the opposing team. Bears receivers were getting behind Cowboys defensive backs, or were completely uncovered.

That’s a communication issue among the defenders, who too often look like they have no clue what they are supposed to do. Safety Donovan Wilson needs Dan Quinn, the former defensive coordinator who is now the head coach in Washington.

Some of the secondary issues are also a reflection of a pass rush that does not exist. If a passer is actually rushed, those above mentioned issues don’t have time to be exposed. Parsons did that.

“There’s not enough guys in the rush, and certainly no coverage. Another wide open receiver,” Fox Sports broadcast Tom Brady said during the telecast. “Matt Eberflus is just looking for answers over there. Not rushing well, not covering well, not knowing their way on defense.”

Some of this may be scheme; Eberflus isn’t this bad, but he may be asking players to do what he wants rather than what they can do. That’s a common issue in coaching.

But firing Eberflus today isn’t going to change much.

Because Sam Williams ain’t it. Neither is Kenneth Murray. The same for Jack Sanborn. Dante Fowler is too old to be asked to do this much. You could put any of these specific Cowboys players in a different scheme, and the results will look the same.

The Cowboys front seven doesn’t feature playmakers. The recent signing of defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, who was not active on Sunday, can’t hurt. But he’s not going to be some version of Parsons.

At best, Clowney will replace the type of presence that former defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence brought the last few years. That is best-case scenario.

The Cowboys defense is a result of a personnel decisions that have prioritized the offense. The big contracts, top draft picks and splashy trades have all concentrated on offensive players.

Dak Prescott. CeeDee Lamb. The entire offensive line. George Pickens. Jake Ferguson.

Parsons is not worth a 17-point differential, but everything he was for this defense will not be replaced by anything that is on this roster. That was the fear, and the results so far exceed the expectations.

There is a reason why so many former NFL players, including those who played for the Cowboys, could not believe the Cowboys traded Parsons. Because finding a man with his very particular set of skills requires the type of good fortune that normally is reserved for winning a lottery.

The Cowboys had him, and they dumped him.

They knew they were going to feel this, and now they know the pain.

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