How do Cowboys plan on stopping Packers' Micah Parsons in his reunion game?

Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Sep 24, 2025

Published in Football

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FRISCO, Texas — When the Dallas Cowboys sent four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in a blockbuster trade Aug. 28, the Cowboys’ Week 4 matchup with the Packers one month later on Sept. 28 went from being circled with a pencil to a Sharpie.

Now, as the week of preparation leading up to the game has begun, all eyes in the Cowboys’ headquarters are not only focused on how to stop their former defensive star, but the array of weapons around Parsons on both sides of the ball.

It’s a unique situation for Brian Schottenheimer. In his first year as the Cowboys’ head coach, it’s hard to imagine that he expected a reality without Parsons ever playing a snap for his team when he signed the dotted line back in January. But even with the spotlight bright this week around the Cowboys’ decision to move on from Parsons, Schottenheimer is focused on treating the opportunity just like any other one.

“I’m excited to see Micah before the game on the field,” Schottenheimer said. “The guys know Micah is coming back. It will great to see him, but no, [this is a] normal week, another championship opportunity.”

Schottenheimer has had to face talented pass rushers throughout his career. Even in the first three weeks of the regular season, he has seen talented defensive fronts that have made life difficult on his beat-up offensive line at times. It helps to have the knowledge and background that he has with Parsons, but he also knows it goes both ways.

“I think at the end of the day, our guys all know Micah,” he said. “But guess what, he knows us. Micah’s a great player. Micah’s going to make plays. I’ll just put that out there. Does he get a sack? I hope not, but he might. He’s pretty good, but I think our guys will go in knowing we got a good plan.”

Schottenheimer has the unique experience from his season in 2022 working alongside former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as a consultant when he would draw up a game plan on how to beat the Cowboys’ defense each week based on the opponents’ personnel and scheme. That year, he drew up 19 strategies on how to stop the unit led by Parsons.

Can he draw on that experience going into this matchup?

“I think I know Micah pretty well,” he said. “They move him around a lot, which is great. I’m not going to give away our game plan for Micah, but we’ll pay a lot of attention to Micah. Micah can be dominant, and we know that. We’re gonna hit him. We’re gonna put multiple people on him. It’s gonna be a long day for us and the guys trying to block him, because he’s that talented.”

Meanwhile, the leading sack-getter in the NFL does play for the Packers, but it’s not the former Cowboy who holds that honor. It’s veteran Rashan Gary. On a defense that also features rising linebackers Edgerrin Cooper and Quay Walker, the dedication toward finding how to get past the Packers’ defense goes well beyond Parsons.

“This is a defense that’s got incredible speed with Cooper and Walker and Micah and Rashan,” Schottenheimer said. “They’re deep and they’re fast, so our ability to have success against the Packers’ defense will be about a whole lot more than just Micah. Just adding Micah to the mix doesn’t negate the fact that they had really good players there before Micah got there.”