(Editor's Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in 'Mailbag' presented by Miller Lite.)
If the Cowboys hadn't made that big trade right before the start of the season, do you think that would have made enough of a difference to get the team into the playoffs? I realize we will never know for sure, but I go back and forth on the subject. I debate between thinking, yes, because an elite pass rusher is exactly what was missing. And no, because the defense still had too many holes to fill. Your thoughts? – Peter Malliris*/Eugene, OR*
Nick: You're right about never knowing the answer, but it's a fun game to play. My thought is the Cowboys would've been a much better team with Micah this year. Assuming the offense still played like it did, I think they win 2-3 more games, if not more than that.
All year long, the Cowboys just needed to get a few more stops. If they had gotten off the field just a few more times a game, that'd be the difference in field position, which of course can affect games. Even some of the games such as Chicago and Denver that looked out of hand because of the final score, could've been different if you get some early stops. I definitely think they beat the Packers considering they would strengthen their defense and weaken the other. And yes, the Panthers game, too.
We'll never know but I think the Cowboys would've been a much more balanced team with Micah, who makes the guys around him a lot better, too. But then again, it's over now. Let's see what the Cowboys do with the picks and players they got in return. Yes, this year would've been better but the jury is still out if the Cowboys can win the trade.
Patrik: Two things can be true at the same time here: Micah Parsons is generationally elite, but one man wasn't going to save this defense in 2025. It's one that had a mountain of issues schematically, execution-wise and personnel-wise. So, let's say they don't trade Parsons, well then you get to enjoy a better pass rush ... but ... do they then sign Jadeveon Clowney to add to Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams, the latter two having been acquired because they traded Parsons? The interior of the defensive line has gone from porous (sorry, Mazi) to monstrous, thanks to the trade, and you still have two first-round picks, to boot. So the question is would you trade Parsons if you knew in advance what it would turn into? I'd have to say yes, but to the question of Parsons saving this defense from itself in 2025 ... I'd have to say no.
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