Sports Then and Now

Change was already evident for the Dallas Cowboys as they prepare to kickoff the 2025 season this week. A new head coach, new coordinators, and many new players acquired via trades, free agency, and the NFL draft creating significant roster turnover were already in place. Then came the biggest change just last week. No more Micah Parsons. In a massive deal finalized August 28, Dallas opted to trade Parsons, a four-time pro bowl defensive end, to the Green Bay Packers. In return, the Cowboys received two first-round draft picks from the Packers as well as veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark. Gone is a generational talent in Parsons who had been in contract negotiations with Dallas since March. In the end, Parsons, his agent David Mulugheta, and Cowboys’ owner, president, and general manager Jerry Jones could not reach an agreement to keep Parsons and the trade was made. The trade leaves Dallas with a huge void on defense as Parsons is one of the premier pass rushers in the National Football League. Parsons recorded 12 or more sacks in each of his first four seasons with the Cowboys, the only player to do so besides defensive end Reggie White, a pro football hall of famer. White was also acquired by the Packers from Philadelphia in a massive trade back in 1993 when free agency came into the picture.

So what does Dallas do now? The simple answer is to put this move behind them and not let it be a distraction as the season is about to commence. The Cowboys play not only their season opener but the entire league opener this Thursday Sept. 4 in Philadelphia against the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles. Kickoff is set for 8:20 pm EST. Thus, a national television auience will be tuning in. The fact that this trade was done before the season-opener is likely better for the team as to avoid any distractions as to if Parsons will be with them or not.

Leading Dallas this season will be first-time head coach Brian Schottenheimer who was named to the helm as the 10th head coach in Cowboys’ history back on January 24. Shottenheimer replaces Mike McCarthy who was not retained after a five-year stint as head coach of the team. McCarthy went 50-38 during his time in Dallas and was only 1-3 in the playoffs. Schottenheimer has 26 years of NFL coaching experience and has been with the Cowboys since 2022, first as a consultant and for the last two years as the teams’ offensive coordinator.

The coaching staff also has new faces as former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus is the new defensive coordinator. Eberflus is in his second stint with Dallas after serving as the team’s linebackers coach from 2011-17. Eberflus had additional duties as passing game coordinator from 2016-17. Also named to the staff was Klayton Adams as the team’s new offensive coordinator.

Schottenheimer is the son of the late Marty Schottenheimer who enjoyed a long and highly productive NFL head coaching career with the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins (know the Commanders), and San Diego Chargers. Schottenheimer ranks eighth all-time in NFL history with 200 career wins.

Changes are further seen in the players as many offseason moves were made to improve the team. Gone are two mainstays in 11-year veterans Zack Martin and Demarcus Lawrence. Martin retired and Lawrence signed in free agency with Seattle. Martin was a nine-time All-Pro at guard while Lawrence made four Pro Bowls while amassing 450 tackles and 61.5 sacks at defensive end for the Cowboys. Dallas used its’ first-round draft pick back in April on guard Tyler Booker from Alabama with the 12th overall pick. Although the addition of Cark from the Parsons trade gives the Cowboys a veteran run stuffer, he is not an even swap. That will only be determined in the future with how Dallas uses those two first round picks from Green Bay.

Booker was a first-team All-American in 2024 at Alabama and should help fortify the Cowboys’ offensive line. Much like they did between 2011 and 2014 when they used three first-round draft picks on Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, and Zack Martin to rebuild its’ offensive line, Dallas has committed to that yet again by using three ones and a two on offensive lineman over the last four drafts. Booker will team with left guard Tyler Smith (first round, 2022), left tackle Tyler Guyton (first round, 2024), and center Cooper Beebe (second round, 2024) in hopes of forming a top line to protect quarterback Dak Prescott and improve a sour running game.

In hopes of doing so, the Cowboys signed running backs Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams in free agency. Sanders followed Saquon Barkely at Penn State and played for the Carolina Panthers last season while Williams was with the Denver Broncos in 2024. Sanders spent his first four years in Philadelphia where he ran for a career high 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns during the Eagles’ Super Bowl season of 2022 when he played in all 17 games. Williams has been a steady back in his four seasons in the league. He has rushed for 2,394 yards and 11 touchdowns in 54 games, good for 4.0 yards per carry. Williams is also valuable as a receiver as he recorded career highs of 52 catches for 346 yards in 2024 and scored four total touchowns. Dallas also drafted Jaydon Blue from Texas in the fifth round and Phil Mafah from Clemson in the seventh. They competed with holdovers Malik Davis, Deuce Vaughn, and Hunter Luepke in training camp and the preseason. Sanders, Williams, Luepke, and Blue made the final cut-down to the final 53-man roster just last week. Mafah is currently listed on the reserve/injured list while Davis is listed on the team’s practice squad according to the team’s web site. Vaughn was cut.

According to the depth chart on the team’s web site, Williams is listed first followed by Sanders and then the rookie Blue. A joint effort at the running back position will be needed unless one of these three backs emerges early in the season. Finding a running game is sorely needed for the Cowboys to be effective in an improving NFC East where big defensive lines roam. Big strong defensive fronts are seen with Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter in Philadelphia, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence, and rookie Abdul Carter in New York, and Daron Payne and Jer’Zhan Newton in Washington.

A running game will be needed to try and diffuse some of the pass rush and give Prescott better options to beat the defense. Running the ball and stopping the run are two fundamentals for successful football teams. Dallas strugggled in both a season ago and the lack of a running game for the last several years has hampered them. The Cowboys ran for a total of 1,705 yards last season which ranked 27th in the entire National Football League. Their averages of 4.0 yards per carry and 100.3 yards per game ranked near the bottom of the league at 30th and 27th respectively. Conversely, their rushing defense was just as poor in 2024. Dallas ranked 29th in the league in rushing yards allowed with 2,331 on the season. They were also 29th with an average of 137.1 yards allowed on the ground per game. The Cowboys gave up 4.8 yards per carrry a season ago which was 28th in the league and opponents recorded a first down 141 times on rushing plays. That translates to longer time-consuming drives meaning Dallas had less time possessing the ball.

When they do possess the ball this season, the offense will look to be a bit more potent with the addition of wide receiver George Pickens. The Cowboys acquired Pickens in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the offseason. The former Georgia standout played three seasons in Pittsburgh where he caught 174 passes for 2,841 yards and 12 touchdowns. Pickens will help take some double teams away from star receiver CeeDee Lamb and fills a void left by Brandin Cooks who was not resigned in the offseason and is now with the New Orleans Saints. Jalen Tolbert and Kavontae Turpin are the other wide receivers on the roster for Dallas with the speedster Turpin returning punts and kickoffs. The tight end position is solid with starter Jake Ferguson providing a reliable option. Third-year man Luke Schoonmaker and Brevyn Spann-Ford are the reserve tight ends with Schoonmaker providing support in two tight end formations.

Defensively, the Cowboys are now in transition with the loss of Parsons. The whole impact of this trade won’t be fully seen for a year or two after Dallas has used the two first-round draft picks that they acquired from Green Bay. However in the short term, the Cowboys will be looking to some youngsters to pick up the slack. The previously mentioned Clark will help at defensive tackle. Look for rookie defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku along with fourth-year defensive end Sam Williams to help fill the void left by the departure of Parsons. A second round draft pick in April, Ezeiruaku brings athleticism to what is now a need position for Dallas. At Boston College in 2024, Ezeiruaku was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year and was also a first-team All-ACC selection. He also won the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation’s top defensive end a season ago. Williams, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL suffered in training camp, has a lot of promise and will look to be a factor along with Ezeiruaku and the rest of the defensive line.

That defensive line got stronger in the middle with the addition of Clark who will team with veteran defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to form a solid duo. The Cowboys also improved at defensive tackle with the offseason additions of Perrion Winfrey and veteran Solomon Thomas. Both will add depth. Defensive end Dante Fowler Jr., a 10-year veteran, has also returned for his second stint with Dallas after playing in Washington a season ago. The Cowboys also signed defensive end Payton Turner who had 21 tackles and two sacks with the Saints last season. Second-year defensive end Marshawn Kneeland will also need to be a presence this season.

The linebackers are somewhat questionable and the team will be missing another impact player there in Demarvion Overshown who suffered a severe knee injury late last season. While he has been seen walking around training camp, he opens the season on the team’s Active/Physically Unable to Perform list according to the team’s web site. If Overshown is to see game action this season it might not be until sometime late in the season. Look for second-year man Marist Liufau to step forward and take on more of a role. Dallas also signed Kenneth Murray Jr. and Jack Sanborn in free agency to stabillize the unit. Veteran Damone Clark is also on the active roster as well.

The defensive secondary is where some adjustments have been made. Former NFL interceptions leader and two-time Pro Bowler Trevon Diggs has been hampered by knee injuries each of the last two seasons. Diggs appears healthy but is coming off knee surgery that caused him to miss the last four games of the 2024 season. Cornerback Daron Bland was just signed to a four-year $92 million extension and appears to have a firm grip on the other starting corner spot. Depth is a bit of an issue with second-year cornerback Caelon Carson on the reserve/injured list according to the team’s web site. The Cowboys did trade with Buffalo for cornerback Kaiir Elam, a former first-round draft pick in 2022. The safety positons will likely be filled by veterans Markquese Bell and Malik Hooker.

The special teams are set as Dallas boasts one of the top units in the league. Turpin is a lethal threat as a punt and kickoff returner. Bryan Anger is solid at punter and Brandon Aubrey has one of the biggest and most accurate legs in the league with field goal range up to 60-plus yards. Trent Sieg is reliable as the team’s long snapper.

Until the defense gets used to playing without Parsons, the offense will have to shoulder more responsibility. Prescott is the unquestioned leader of the team and will look to spread the ball around more this season with the addition of Pickens and the new running backs. Establishing a better balance on offense will be critical to what success the Cowboys are able to have this season.

The schedule is competitive and tough this season. Dallas plays the AFC West with road tilts at the Las Vegas Raiders and the Denver Broncos and home games against the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs, who they play on Thanksgiving Day. The Cowboys also play the NFC North division with home games against Green Bay and Minnesota and road games against Chicago and Detroit.
How well Dallas plays this season and how far they go will depend on how well they adjust to life without Parsons and how well the offense performs with several new players surrounding Prescott. A playoff spot is not out of the question. However the Cowboys will have to work for it to keep up with the competition in hopes of gaining some kind of edge.