Micah Parsons

Stephen Jones On Cowboys’ Extension Efforts

July 19th, 2024 at 10:02am CST by Adam La Rose

With training camps beginning to open around the NFL, numerous extension agreements are likely to be finalized in the near future. For the Cowboys, negotiations on several fronts are ongoing.

COO Stephen Jones made an appearance on The Athletic’s Scoop City podcast to discuss where things currently stand with respect to contract talks for quarterback Dak Prescott, wideout CeeDee Lamb and edge rusher Micah Parsons. Prescott and Lamb are entering the final year of their respective deals, and keeping both in the fold while leaving enough cap resources to extend Parsons will prove to be a challenge. It is one the Cowboys are optimistic can be met, though.

“Well those things take time,” Jones said. “And we’re talking about deals here. You know when you’re talking about CeeDee and Dak and you know somebody like a Micah coming up. I mean you’re talking about two players that aren’t quarterbacks that feel like they ought to be a little bit like [Justin] Jefferson, the top-paid non-quarterbacks in the league.

“And, of course, we’ve got a big one in Dak. And we got [Trevon] Diggs right there. And then you got Zack Martin and [DeMarcus Lawrence]. And so we got a lot of guys making you know quite a bit of money. And you know that’s no excuses. We think we can get this done, know we can get it done. But it just takes time.”

Prescott’s deal is positioned to check in at the highest AAV figure, but both Lamb and Parsons have been connected to an asking price which would allow them to top their respective markets. Dallas is not looking to go to those lengths, though in any event much will depend on the particulars of Prescott’s extension. When addressing the latter point, Jones confirmed he and owner Jerry Jones have been in communication with Prescott himself as well as agent Todd France.

A Prescott accord will likely be finalized before one for Lamb – something which could lead to a training camp holdout if the franchise record-setting wideout does not have a deal in hand in the near future. Week 1 represents a more firm deadline, of course, but the start of camp will be an interesting checkpoint to watch for as Dallas continues to negotiate multiple big-ticket extensions. If the Prescott talks gain traction during the coming days, at least one item off the team’s checklist could be taken care of.

Community Tailgate: The Cowboys’ Contract Dilemma

July 10th, 2024 at 10:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 2019 Cowboys offseason featured several extension candidates. The team ended up paying most of them, giving extensions to Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott, La’el Collins and Jaylon Smith. Dallas eventually re-signed Amari Cooper, though he hit free agency before that deal was finalized. Byron Jones departed for Miami shortly before the Cooper agreement.

Although one of the extensions — Prescott’s — affects where the Cowboys are now, this offseason’s dilemma dwarfs where Dallas stood five years ago. Three players — Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons — are either in contract years or eligible for an extension. Each member of the trio can make a case to become the highest-paid player at his position. For Lamb and Parsons, that means the highest-paid non-QB. Prescott has unique leverage to force the issue into not only becoming the NFL’s highest-paid player but creating a gap between himself and No. 2 on that list.

The Cowboys are not believed to want to set markets, but they may not have a choice. This qualifies as a good problem, given the talent Parsons and Lamb have displayed on their rookie deals. Prescott has not proven himself to be as good at his position compared to the younger Cowboys stars, but as an upper-echelon quarterback, he would carry significant leverage even if his contract situation veered toward a standard place.

But Dak’s circumstances are far from standard. The former Day 3 sensation bucked the trend by playing out his fourth season, for fourth-round money, and waiting on an extension. This meant a year on the franchise tag. Despite that 2020 season being cut short by an ankle injury that still impacts him today, Prescott secured a four-year, $160MM deal just before the March 2021 deadline to apply franchise tags. Prescott became the outlier Cowboy standout, signing for less than five years, and his leverage-maximization tactics led to a procedural franchise tag and a no-trade clause. Part one of that effort looms large years later.

It is hard to overstate how much leverage the Cowboys have given their ninth-year quarterback. Not only can Prescott not be tagged or traded, an offseason restructure placed a $40.13MM dead money figure in play for 2025. That penalty would hit Dallas’ 2025 cap sheet if Prescott is not re-signed before the start of the 2025 league year. The Vikings are taking this medicine after Kirk Cousins departed in March, though Minnesota’s dead cap hit from that defection is $28.5MM.

Prescott is also tied to what would be a record-setting 2024 cap number ($55.13MM) — Dak, Deshaun Watson and Daniel Jones would each set that record barring changes to their contracts — but the void years on his contract threaten a future penalty. A Zack Martin restructure would also give Dallas a $26.5MM dead cap hit if he is not re-signed before the ’25 league year. Prescott, 30, securing a deal in the $60MM-per-year ballpark should be considered in play based on the ammo he carries.

While the 49ers have seen their Brandon Aiyuk talks impacted by another receiver market boom, the Cowboys are more directly affected by what took place in Minnesota last month. The Vikings gave Justin Jefferson a $35MM-per-year deal that includes record-smashing guarantees ($110MM in total, $88.7MM at signing). The latter figure hovers a staggering $36MM north of the next-closest wideout. Aiyuk has been tied to wanting a guarantee north of $80MM; Lamb — a two-time Pro Bowler and 2023 first-team All-Pro — has proven more and can make a stronger case for Jefferson-level terms.

As they prepare to make a strong Prescott offer, the Cowboys may well have their QB in place as a higher priority compared to their top pass catcher. Lamb can be tagged in 2025, and while the team has used its franchise tag in six of the past seven years, a cap hold near $25MM would be an issue. Though, the Cowboys — albeit without Prescott, Martin and Lamb signed for 2025 — are projected to hold more than $64MM in cap space next year. They would have an easier time tagging Lamb than the 49ers would cuffing Aiyuk. For 2024, a Lamb holdout looms. Martin succeeded down this path last year, but Lamb’s matter is different due to the WR seeking a monster extension instead of more security on an existing contract.

Expecting to become the NFL’s highest-paid non-QB, Parsons has said waiting until 2025 for his payday would be acceptable. Another cap jump and another dominant season would put him on track to command close to $40MM per year, though the Cowboys do not expect next year’s cap spike to match this year’s $30.6MM jump. If the Cowboys do finalize extensions for Prescott and Lamb this year, will three top-market contracts be a workable scenario?

Of the three, Parsons is probably the best overall player. The three-time All-Pro is tied to a 2025 fifth-year option and could be tagged in 2026, separating this matter from the near-future Prescott and Lamb deadlines. But the Cowboys will certainly need to factor in a Parsons payday as they navigate talks for their QB-WR combo.

The team would have saved money by extending Prescott or Lamb last year, but the team checked off other boxes — re-ups for Trevon Diggs and Terence Steele — as these expensive matters lingered. Time is running out for Jerry Jones and Co. to begin enacting solutions before training camp.

How will the team end up resolving this quandary? As costs rise, will trade rumors emerge surrounding one of the standouts? Weigh in with your thoughts on the Cowboys’ situation in PFR’s latest Community Tailgate.

Cowboys’ Micah Parsons Expects To Become NFL’s Highest-Paid Non-QB

June 5th, 2024 at 10:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

Micah Parsons is probably the Cowboys’ best player, but he appears to sit third in the team’s latest extension queue due to contract timelines. Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb‘s contract-year statuses make their situations front-burner matters. Parsons appears fine waiting.

Rather than push the issue ahead of his fourth seasons, Parsons is prepared to see where the market will go once his time to see market-changing money comes. During the fifth-year option era (2011-present), the Cowboys have paid three first-rounders (Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, Ezekiel Elliott) before their fourth seasons. Dallas exercised Parsons’ fifth-year option, but it does not seem like an early deal — given the Prescott and Lamb matters — is coming.

“I’m patient. Patience is a virtue,” Parsons said, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill. “I’m waiting my turn. Let CeeDee go get whatever. Let Dak get whatever. I kind of know where the money is. It’s not like I see the Cowboys with $90MM in cap space.

“This market is going to just jump up and the cap goes up again next year. They’re talking about these contracts might for a high-caliber player might be up to $40MM by then.”

When asked if he expected to become the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback on his second contract, the All-Pro Dallas defender replied, “I mean, yeah.” Parsons, 25, will have a clear-cut case to surpass Nick Bosa‘s $34MM-per-year deal and Justin Jefferson‘s new $35MM-AAV accord. While the cap might not take another $30MM jump in 2025, it will check in higher than its $255.4MM place next year. This bodes well for Parsons, who has displayed transformative abilities during his rookie contract.

Frequently battling double-teams, the 2021 first-round pick is 3-for-3 in All-Pro nods (two first-team selections) and is one of just five players in the sack era (1982-present) to record 40 sacks over his first three seasons. The Cowboys did well by nabbing Parsons following a trade down to No. 12, which helped the Eagles outflank the Giants for DeVonta Smith; they will need to reward their impact defender in the not-too-distant future.

The 49ers’ Bosa extension talks came down to the wire last September, with the former Defensive Player of the Year inking a deal that placed him nearly $6MM north of previous top edge earner T.J. Watt. Although Brian Burns and Josh Allen have signed extensions this offseason, their deals barely outpace Watt’s for AAV. No one is within $20MM of Bosa’s guarantee number ($122MM); the San Francisco dynamo’s $88MM full guarantee checks in $8MM higher than Watt’s. The Bosa deal should set the floor for the Cowboys, who should have more financial clarity by the time they enter serious extension talks with Parsons (likely in 2025).

Parsons is tied to a $2.99MM 2024 salary and a fully guaranteed $21.32MM fifth-year option number. The Cowboys are in the rare position of needing to consider record-setting QB, WR and defender payments on one cap sheet. The team is expected to make a strong Prescott extension offer — one that would reduce his 2024 cap hit from its eye-popping $55.13MM place — this summer and has viewed 2024 as the Lamb extension window. Jefferson’s guarantees will complicate Lamb talks, which will occur as Prescott carries considerable leverage against his team.

Despite their past early extension efforts, the Cowboys have taken some heat for creating this situation. While this can be dubbed a good problem due to the talents of Prescott, Lamb and Parsons, the team will certainly see its depth tested if it opts to pay all three players. No trade rumors have emerged regarding the trio; Prescott holds a no-trade clause.

For now, Parsons appears set to play a fourth season on his rookie contract. Bosa and Aaron Donald did so in the past. But the Cowboys waiting with the Penn State product runs the risk of upping his asking price when negotiations commence.

Jerry Jones On Cowboys’ Financial Approach

April 28th, 2024 at 3:20pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Cowboys’ lack of outside additions in free agency and movement in terms of extending their top players has been a key talking point this offseason. Many of Dallas’ younger in-house options will be counted on to take a step forward in 2024, while plenty of attention remains focused on the financial futures of quarterback Dak Prescott, wideout CeeDee Lamb and edge rusher Micah Parsons.

To no surprise, owner Jerry Jones has faced plenty of questions related to Dallas’ comparative inaction on the market in 2024. Linebacker Eric Kendricks and running back Royce Freeman represent the only veterans brought in to date, and the team’s tight cap situation is a key reason why. As Jones recently stated, retaining any or all members of the Prescott-Lamb-Parsons trio will lead to notable complications elsewhere on the roster.

“Our rules of this game is to have a salary cap,” Jones said, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota (subscription required). “There’s no question we’ve been operating on the credit card. That’s how we’ve had Dak Prescott plus his great supporting cast around him for the last three or four years… So if you decide to have a key player and you pay him to that extent, then he’s going to have less supporting cast around. Look around. That’s the way it works.

“We have known that you were going to basically have to have less in order to have some of the players that we want to have at the prices they are. You got to have less supporting cast. There’s no getting around it.”

The Cowboys have indeed enjoyed having Lamb and Parsons on their rookie contracts while retaining Prescott at a high cap hit. The latter is in line to play out 2024 on the final year of his pact, and while Dallas is hopeful a new agreement can be worked out, the 30-year-old recently suggested he is open to reaching free agency. Prescott could command $60MM per year on a new accord, and Lamb and Parsons could each approach the top of the market at their respective positions.

Especially in recent years, many teams around the league have attempted to get ahead of the curve by locking up top producers early and leaving others to react to a new price point. Jones confirmed the Cowboys are instead taking a different approach with their foundational players. In the case of Prescott and Lamb in particular, Dallas is content to wait for the next wave of new deals.

“We’d like to see some more leaves fall,” Jones added. “We’d like to see some more action… It’s on your mind. It’d be madness not to know that the contracts are ahead. I want to see a few more cards played, candidly. If you got trouble with when the timing is around here, it’s because I’m not ready to go.”

The top of the QB market has surpassed $50MM per season, while the league’s ascending receivers are benefiting from the position’s lucrative nature. Recent extensions for the likes of DeVonta Smith, Amon-Ra St. Brown and A.J. Brown have offered a potential framework for a Lamb deal. The likes of Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase and Jaylen Waddle could also push the top of the market even higher.

Lamb is absent from Dallas’ offseason program amidst the lack of negotiations on an extension. Given the way things are headed from a financial standpoint, any new deal (which could avoided for several months since he is set to play out his fifth-year option in 2024) will drastically alter Dallas’ cap situation. That is certainly true of Prescott and Parsons as well (both of whom also are still firmly in the team’s long-term plans), but a patient approach will apparently remain the Cowboys’ preference.

2025 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker

April 24th, 2024 at 10:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

NFL teams have until May 2 to officially pick up fifth-year options on 2021 first-rounders. The 2020 CBA revamped the option structure and made them fully guaranteed, rather than guaranteed for injury only. Meanwhile, fifth-year option salaries are now determined by a blend of the player’s position, initial draft placement and performance- and usage-based benchmarks:

Two-time Pro Bowlers (excluding alternates) will earn the same as their position’s franchise tag
One-time Pro Bowlers will earn the equivalent of the transition tag
Players who achieve any of the following will receive the average of the third-20th-highest salaries at their position:
- At least a 75% snap rate in two of their first three seasons
- A 75% snap average across all three seasons
- At least 50% in each of first three seasons
Players who do not hit any of those benchmarks will receive the average of the third-25th top salaries at their position

With the deadline looming, we will use the space below to track all the option decisions from around the league:

QB Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars ($25.66MM): Exercised
QB Zach Wilson, Broncos* ($22.41MM): Declined
QB Trey Lance, Cowboys** ($22.41MM): Declined
TE Kyle Pitts, Falcons ($10.88MM): Exercised
WR Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals ($21.82MM): Exercised
WR Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins ($15.59MM): Exercised
T Penei Sewell, Lions ($19MM): Extended through 2029
CB Jaycee Horn, Panthers ($12.47MM): Exercised
CB Patrick Surtain, Broncos ($19.82MM): Exercised
WR DeVonta Smith, Eagles ($15.59MM): Extended through 2028
QB Justin Fields, Steelers*** ($25.66MM): Declined
DE Micah Parsons, Cowboys ($21.32MM): Exercised
T Rashawn Slater, Chargers ($19MM): Exercised
OL Alijah Vera-Tucker, Jets ($13.31MM): Exercised
QB Mac Jones, Jaguars**** ($25.66MM): Declined
LB Zaven Collins, Cardinals ($13.25MM): Declined
T Alex Leatherwood, Raiders: N/A
LB Jaelan Phillips, Dolphins ($13.3MM): Exercised
LB Jamin Davis, Commanders ($14.48MM): Declined
WR Kadarius Toney, Chiefs***** ($14.35MM): Declined
DE Kwity Paye, Colts ($13.4MM): Exercised
CB Caleb Farley, Titans ($12.47MM): Declined
T Christian Darrisaw, Vikings ($16MM): Exercised
RB Najee Harris, Steelers ($6.79MM): Declined
RB Travis Etienne, Jaguars ($6.14MM): Exercised
CB Greg Newsome, Browns ($13.38MM): To be exercised
WR Rashod Bateman, Ravens ($14.35MM): N/A; extended through 2026
DE Payton Turner, Saints ($13.39MM): Declined
CB Eric Stokes, Packers ($12.47MM): Declined
DE Greg Rousseau, Bills ($13.39MM): Exercised
LB Odafe Oweh, Ravens ($13.25MM): Exercised
LB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Buccaneers ($13.25MM): Declined

* = Jets traded Wilson on April 22, 2024
** = 49ers traded Lance on August 25, 2023
*** = Bears traded Fields on March 16, 2024
**** = Patriots traded Jones on March 10, 2024
***** = Giants traded Toney on October 27, 2022

Cowboys Pick Up Micah Parsons’ Fifth-Year Option

April 24th, 2024 at 3:28pm CST by Adam La Rose

With the draft approaching, teams continue to make decisions on 2021 first-round selections’ futures. To no surprise, the Cowboys will keep edge rusher Micah Parsons in the fold for at least the next two years.

Dallas has picked up Parsons’ option, ESPN’s Todd Archer reports. The move – which the team has since announced – will come at a cost of $21.32MM, since the former No. 12 pick has been designated as a defensive end. A tender with an outside linebacker classification would have been costlier, but Parsons is nevertheless in line for a monster second contract.

Dallas, of course, has massive financial decisions to make with respect to Parsons, quarterback Dak Prescott and wideout CeeDee Lamb. Each member of that trio is due for a considerable raise, although Prescott is currently entering a walk year and Lamb – having been drafted one year before Parsons – represents a more pressing priority. The latter has said he is willing to wait on contract talks, but classifying defenders as defensive ends (rather than outside linebackers) often leads to grievances.

In many cases, compromises are made with time to spare in terms of multi-year deals being worked out or middle ground figures being agreed to on an option. Parsons has certainly made a case to take the top spot in the league in terms of annual compensation amongst edge rushers, a title which currently belongs to Nick Bosa ($34MM). That extension was signed on the eve of the 2023 campaign, and it has been followed by an historic jump in the salary cap ceiling. Parsons delivered a third straight Pro Bowl campaign this year, leading to a third-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

The 24-year-old has recorded 13, 13.5 and 14 sacks during his decorated career so far. That has earned him first-team All-Pro acclaim on two occasions (along with a second-team nod in 2023), cementing his status as a foundational member of Dallas’ defense. That will remain the case for at least the intermediate future, but progress on a long-term deal will be a story to follow this offseason.

A recent report on the Parsons situation indicated an agreement is still expected to be reached on a mega-extension. The Cowboys have been notably hesitant on the quarterback and receiver fronts this offseason, aiming to gauge the outside market at those positions before committing to Prescott and/or Lamb. Regardless of what happens with those two, a massive Parsons investment will be needed relatively soon to keep him in the fold and avoid any contractual conflict over his classification.

Cowboys To Classify Micah Parsons As DE On Fifth-Year Option

March 6th, 2024 at 11:19am CST by Sam Robinson

11:19am: The Cowboys may not have made a final decision on Parsons’ positional designation, but the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill indicates a D-end classification will draw a grievance from the defender’s camp. This may end up being a footnote, with Hill adding a Parsons extension is expected to come together over the next year. In the long-running saga of edge rusher positions factoring into salaries, a Parsons grievance would be a notable development.

8:46am: Many instances have come about during the franchise tag era of teams classifying edge rushers as linebackers as opposed to defensive ends, as the former designation saves a bit of money under the tag formula. Grievances have stemmed from these decisions, with compromises being reached on some occasions. The script may flip in Dallas.

This year’s franchise tag and fifth-year option numbers produced a higher linebacker salary compared to defensive ends. The LB tag comes in at $24MM, while the D-end number is $21.32MM. This will pertain to the Cowboys, who have refused in the past to label Micah Parsons a full-on defensive end despite the team regularly lining up the star defender at that spot.

While the Cowboys will make one of the easiest fifth-year option calls in history by exercising Parsons’ 2025 guarantee, the Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken notes the team will classify Parsons as a defensive end when picking up the option.

Drafted as a linebacker, Parsons made the move to regular edge rusher fairly early in his career. But the Cowboys had previously pushed back on labeling the 2021 No. 11 overall pick a DE. The team would, however, stand to have a clear runway to label Parsons a DE due to the fast-rising star playing the bulk of his snaps at the position. Parsons played 87.8% of his defensive snaps on the D-line last season. With the Cowboys using a 4-3 scheme, this would not fall under the typical 4-3/3-4 dispute that commonly comes up regarding edge rushers’ tag or option numbers. Because Parsons has three original-ballot Pro Bowl nods on his resume, his fifth-year option doubles as the franchise tag number.

As of now, it would be unlikely Parsons plays the 2025 season on his option. The Cowboys found a dominant defender with that No. 11 pick three years ago, and the Penn State product is on a clear path toward the Hall of Fame. He will command a top-market extension. The option number could play a part in the team’s extension approach, which would introduce a new wrinkle in a process that usually plays out with teams preferring to label an edge rusher as a linebacker for financial purposes.

Since the 2011 draft began the option era, the Cowboys have extended four players (Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin, Ezekiel Elliott) before they played a season on the fifth-year number. Smith, Frederick and Elliott signed new deals before their fourth seasons. Morris Claiborne and Byron Jones are the only Cowboys to play out a fifth-year option, doing so when it was guaranteed for injury only. Both left in free agency the following offseason. The Cowboys would surely use the franchise tag on Parsons in 2026 if his extension talks were to encounter a snag.

It will be interesting to see if Parsons follows Elliott’s playbook and forces the issue this offseason, though his February stance would not indicate as such yet. Players had more options regarding holdouts before the 2020 CBA changed the service-time requirement in an effort to prevent holdouts, leading to the hold-in tactic as a regular option during negotiations. The Cowboys would have Parsons attached to just a $2.99MM base salary if he is not extended this season.

While most teams wait until Year 5 to extend first-round picks, the Cowboys have made exceptions in the past. However, the team has a big-ticket CeeDee Lamb extension to negotiate this offseason, along with a potential Dak Prescott re-up. It is possible a Parsons move will be tabled to 2025, which would put the ball in the dominant sack artist’s court.

Micah Parsons Not Actively Pursuing Cowboys Extension

February 10th, 2024 at 7:23pm CST by Adam La Rose

The 2024 offseason will require a number of key financial decisions involving the Cowboys’ nucleus. Top of the list in that respect is a new deal for quarterback Dak Prescott, but wideout CeeDee Lamb and edge rusher Micah Parsons are also eligible for monster extensions of their own.

Lamb was drafted in 2020, one year before Parsons. The former is on the books for $17.99MM in 2024 on his fifth-year option, but Parsons will no doubt have his option picked up this spring. That move will keep him in place through the 2025 campaign. As a result, Lamb represents a more pressing order of business for Dallas.

Parsons acknowledged as much during a recent appearance on NFL Network’s Super Bowl Live. As a result, he is not aggressively pursuing an extension, one which will likely put him at or near the top of the pecking order among edge rushers. Lamb, too, will not come cheap on his second contract; he has publicly stated a desire to become the NFL’s highest-paid receiver.

Lamb posted single-season franchise records for both receptions (135) and yards (1,749) in 2023, scoring a career-high 14 total touchdowns along the way. The 24-year-old earned a first-team All-Pro nod along with a third career Pro Bowl invite as a result, and he could command an AAV at or near Tyreek Hill‘s market-setting $30MM on his next pact. Negotiations on that front will likely take precedence over talks with Parsons, though the latter is amenable to hammering out a deal in the near future.

“If they’re ready to talk about a deal and get a deal done, I’ll be super excited,” Parsons said. “You know I’m ready to be [with the] Cowboys for life, this is the team I wanted to be with, this is the team I want to win a championship with.”

Parsons has racked up 40.5 sacks in his three seasons with the Cowboys, posting at least 13 in each campaign. That consistency has earned the former Defensive Rookie of the Year a number of accolades (three total All-Pro honors, three Pro Bowl nods) and upped his market value. A new Parsons contract will not kick in until 2026, by which time the edge market may have seen further growth from what has already taken place. Nick Bosa received the league’s largest deal for a non-quarterback in September, inking a $34MM-per-year 49ers extension with $122.5MM guaranteed.

Parsons will no doubt be aiming for a pact similar or larger in value to Bosa’s when the time comes to work out a mega-extension. That time will likely not come this offseason, though, or at least not until the Prescott and Lamb situations gain more clarity. In any case, developments on the Parsons front will be worth monitoring given his importance to Dallas’ defense.

Cowboys To Move Leighton Vander Esch To IR

October 12th, 2023 at 11:05am CST by Sam Robinson

OCTOBER 12: The Cowboys will follow through on the expected transaction. Vander Esch is heading to IR, McCarthy confirmed Thursday. Expected to be out at least a month with a neck strain, Vander Esch will rehab while off the team’s 53-man roster.

OCTOBER 9: Leighton Vander Esch‘s history with neck trouble affected him during his rookie-contract years in Dallas and impacted his potential for a lucrative extension. Months after re-signing with the team on a two-year deal, the veteran linebacker has run into another neck issue.

A collision with teammate Micah Parsons in the second half of the Cowboys’ loss to the 49ers is expected to lead to a Vander Esch absence. The Cowboys are likely to move the former first-round pick to IR, Mike McCarthy said Monday (via ESPN’s Todd Archer). Vander Esch is expected to miss four to six weeks with a neck strain, according to the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins.

An IR move would sideline Vander Esch until at least Week 11; the Cowboys have their bye in Week 6. Vander Esch, 27, saw neck injuries sidetrack his career. The first of those came in 2019, when the 2018 first-rounder missed seven games. He then missed three because of neck trouble last season.

The Cowboys gave Vander Esch a two-year, $8MM deal in March. He played the 2022 season on a one-year, $2MM pact. After a breakthrough rookie season, this did not appear the path Vander Esch’s career would go. The Boise State product soared to second-team All-Pro honors after a 140-tackle season that included two interceptions and seven passes defensed. Vander Esch played a lead role in Dallas rallying back to win the NFC East in 2018, but he fell off the extension radar due to injuries.

Dallas declined his fifth-year option in 2021, and while the parties have since agreed to two more contracts, neither checks in as an especially lucrative deal for the once-promising prospect. Still, Vander Esch rallied back in 2022 and logged his most defensive snaps (746) since his impact rookie year. While the Cowboys disbanded their multiyear LVE-Jaylon Smith pair two years ago, they have still kept the younger linebacker in their plans. For the time being, however, Vander Esch will drift out of the picture.

The team is looking into a veteran addition, per the Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken. Dan Quinn also offered an interesting potential solution for a Vander Esch absence. The third-year Dallas DC said an extended hiatus could lead to Micah Parsons spending more time at linebacker, The Athletic’s Jon Machota tweets. Drafted as a linebacker, Parsons quickly graduated to pass-rushing star. The Cowboys have refrained from labeling the impact defender a pure defensive end, but Parsons spends most of his time rushing from the edge.

A move back to the second level would be an interesting development for this defense, given the value Parsons has generated up front. The Penn State product did play more ILB as a rookie, and the Cowboys will soon be thinner at that position. Dallas also is much deeper along its D-line, rostering the likes of Dorance Armstrong, Dante Fowler and Sam Williams as auxiliary edge rushers. Conversely, the team has an issue at linebacker.

Opting not to re-sign Anthony Barr, the Cowboys moved 2022 Day 3 draftee Damone Clark into their starting lineup. They drafted Demarvion Overshown in Round 3 but lost the rookie to a torn ACL this summer. The team waived Jabril Cox in August. Dallas rosters just one more ILB on its 53-man roster, second-year UDFA Markquese Bell. The team will need to add at that position soon.

In addition to Vander Esch’s setback, the Cowboys lost veteran special-teamer C.J. Goodwin — likely for the rest of the season. Goodwin suffered a torn pectoral muscle, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Cowboys re-signed Goodwin in March, giving him a veteran-minimum deal. Goodwin, 33, has been with the Cowboys since 2018.

Cowboys’ Micah Parsons To Play More Versatile Role In 2023?

July 2nd, 2023 at 2:11pm CST by Adam La Rose

Micah Parsons has established himself as one of the league’s most productive defenders during his first two years in the NFL. The two-time Cowboys All-Pro has also shown a intriguing degree of versatility with respect to his alignments, something which could be taken a step further this season.

Parsons was drafted as an inside linebacker following his college career, but he quickly showed an ability to be a disruptive force off the edge. That led to the expectation that a full-time position switch to defensive end could be coming, but head coach Mike McCarthy made it clear last offseason that Parsons would instead remain a movable chess piece on Dallas’ defense.

The 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year logged 738 snaps along the defensive line last season, per PFF, adding 737 as a stand-up outside linebacker. Parsons’ 13.5 sacks showed how effective he can be in those alignments and earned him a top-10 finish in MVP voting. Instances in which he handled other duties (including in coverage) could lead to an even more varied workload moving forward.

“Just playing chess, being able to move around,” Parsons said, via Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News. “I think that’s the special ability that I have or I want to incorporate. We’re doing a lot of special things. I don’t want to give a lot away right now. But it’s going to be a really cool year. I’m probably going to play eight positions this year.”

While that figure may be on the high side, both the Penn State alum and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn acknowledged that training camp will be used as a testing ground to determine where Parsons can line up in different situations. He will still spend considerable time as an edge rusher, of course, meaning his endeavor to increase his playing weight will be one of significance.

Parsons is aiming to bring himself to 255 pounds (after spending last season at 245) to be better equipped to handle life at the line of scrimmage, but also to preserve what could be a very highly decorated career. By the time the season starts, he will likely have bulked up and the Cowboys will have spent time during the summer devising more unique ways to deploy him.

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