The 2024 NFL Trade Deadline may have come and gone without much of a bang, but in the handful of days that have since passed, folks around the league are still eager to discuss the happenings of the deadline… with a particular emphasis on the deals that weren't made. Take for example, the Dallas Cowboys, whose every move, or sometimes lack thereof, is always looked at through a microscope that isn't held up to the rest of the NFL.

Given how the first half of the 2024 season has gone for America's Team, it's more than reasonable to expect that the Cowboys would've been active at the trade deadline. A team in their position — one that fancies itself as a Super Bowl contender with an increasingly expensive and banged up roster that is 3-5 at the halfway point — would've taken a hard stance at the deadline. Either We‘re buyers, attempting salvage our season, or We're sellers, trying to save some money and build toward the future. 

Instead, the Cowboys opted to make a move that doesn't seem to satisfy either of those team-building philosophies. Dallas overpaid for Panthers wide receiver Jonathan Mingo in a trade that doesn't seem to move the needle either direction at all. Sure, Mingo is only a second-year player, but he hasn't flashed much to be excited about in Carolina.

So with all of that said, it's no wonder that in the days following the trade deadline, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is fielding questions about star linebacker Micah Parsons, and whether or not Dallas would consider dealing the soon-to-be very expensive Defensive Player of the Year candidate at any point in the future. And credit to Jones, because his response left very little to be misinterpreted.

“He’s integral to our future, so no is the big answer,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan, per Todd Archer of ESPN.com. “We haven’t had one conversation ever about not having Micah Parsons on the team. Ever.”

One of the big problems for Dallas this season has been that for all intents and purposes, Parsons, who is a three-time All-Pro in just three NFL seasons, hasn't been on the team for much of this season. To be more accurate, Parsons hasn't been on the active roster. In a Week 4 Thursday Night Football win over the New York Giants, Parsons went down with an ankle injury that has kept him out for over a month now. The good news in Big D is that it looks like Parsons might be able to get back on the field this week.

Return of Micah Parsons may be too little, too late for Cowboys 

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) injured in the second half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.
© Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Even if Parsons is able to return to action this Sunday, the Cowboys have a steep hill to climb in order to make it back into the postseason for the fourth straight time. A three-game gauntlet against the Eagles, Texans and Commanders awaits, as do additional meetings with Philadelphia and Washington in the final two weeks of the season. And for as dominant as Parsons has been over the course of his young career, even he might not be able to stop the bleeding.

This season, the Cowboys defense is 31st in points allowed, 26th in yards allowed and 27th in turnovers, which has been an area that Dallas has thrived in under Mike McCarthy. Twice in the last three seasons, the Cowboys defense has led the NFL in forced turnovers. Playing half the season without Micah Parsons has been a blow in that regard, as has not having DaRon Bland, the league's leader in interceptions in 2023, for the entirety of the year thus far.

If that weren't bad enough, the Cowboys offense has also cratered, and now for the foreseeable future, it'll be Cooper Rush leading the charge as Dak Prescott recovers from a hamstring injury. But hey, at least the Cowboys might have Micah Parsons back on the field, and at least Rush will have Jonathan Mingo to throw the ball to.