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As the Dallas Cowboys try to make a contract decision with Micah Parsons, they might be wondering about their commitment to Dak Prescott. Also, the Cowboys have a fatal flaw they must address in training camp.
The Cowboys struggled to stop the run last season, and that area of the game could bite them again in 2025. This is especially true if teams concentrate on running the football to keep Dallas’ explosive offense on the sidelines.
This is certainly the way ESPN’s Mike Tannenbaum sees it, according to profootballnetwork.com. He said the offense sounds good, but …
“When you can’t stop the run, that can be catastrophic,” Tannenbaum said.
Cowboys need to find ways to stop ground attacks
Tannenbaum points to several NFC teams that could hurt the Cowboys in this area.
“When you start thinking about Saquon Barkley, Detroit, Minnesota, San Francisco,” he said. “There’s a lot of teams that can run the ball very effectively.”
In the center of the Cowboys’ 4-3 defense are Mazi Smith and Osa Odighizuwa. Backing them up are Jay Toia and Solomon Thomas. The Cowboys might be somewhat effective with Smith and Odighizuwa. But will middle linebackers like Jack Sanborn and Shemar James be able to carry the load? Other linebackers Kennth Murray Jr. and DeMarvion Overshown will also have to step up.
Murray said the defense, under the guidance of new coordinator Matt Eberflus, will surprise many people, according to All DLLS via Sports Illustrated.
“The first thing you need to start by building a great defense and stopping the run,” said Murray, who came over from the Titans. “And so I think that was really the first thing that Ebeflus kind of talked about was stopping the run as a piller of our defense. It’s definitely an emphasis for us.
“Obviously, it’s a new style coming in, and then, you know, got some new players. That’s something that I’ll take extremely personally. That that’s mentality I’m gonna bring to it. It’s personal, man. When they just running it down your throat, it’s unacceptable.”
Murray said Eberflus has targeted the need to be better against the run, according to dallascowboys.com.
“The first thing Flus said to me is stopping the run,” said Murray. “Always, man. First thing to being a great defense is stopping the run. “Something I take extremely personal.”
Getting Parsons under contract and happy would help the defense overall. He helps the ground defense by forcing teams to run even in some passing situations to avoid his fierce rushing attack.
Vice president Stephen Jones said the Cowboys know they have work to do to get Parsons in the mix, according to nfl.com.
“Obviously, we don't have a deal with Micah, and we have work to do. That's the only thing I would comment on,” Jones said.
As for Jerry Jones, he said he’s not worried about it right now.
“I'm not concerned at all about what our team can be this year, and develop and develop into, and what we make of our training camp,” Jerry said. “I'm not at all concerned about a contract that involves and will affect that in any way, I can't emphasize that enough.”
Jones compared the situation with Parsons to Zack Martin, according to espn.com.
“Two years ago, we were here, and I think Zack Martin wasn't here,” Jones said. “You had a situation although he had a contract, so you worked through that. … There's nothing new about what we're talking about relative to contracts. That's been going on a long time; if you say, ‘Well, if you don't get him in, are you going to lose the first two games and go on and win the Super Bowl?' Well, I'll take that.”
Schottenheimer said a hold-in by Parsons wouldn’t hinder the team’s 2025 preparation.
“The fact that Micah is here, he's talked all offseason about wanting more of a leadership role, he's talked about wanting to be great,” Schottenheimer said. ‘We know he's a great player. I think we're excited he's here and there are lots of ways to get this thing done, but we're committed to having him take that next step, not just as a player but as a leader.”
The Cowboys hope their defense can produce at least an average level against the run. If that happens, they should be able to give offenses problems because their pass defense should be top-notch. Combined with an expected explosive offense, the Cowboys could be in for a strong year. Of course, they're in a tough division. So it won't be an easy road.
