by: Steve Samra 1 hour ago SamraSource
Mark J. Rebilas | USA TODAY Sports
The NFL world is taking the Cowboys to task for trading Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers . Kirk Herbstreit opted to defend Jerry Jones and Dallas as a whole, though.
During an appearance on Get Up on Friday, Herbstreit took a different approach than many of his colleagues. Opting to see the forest through the trees, the analyst can see how Jones thinks the Cowboys improved by trading Parsons away on Thursday.
“Little bit of a different take here. If you’re just looking at it from the X’s and O’s standpoint, yes, you lose a great player — physically, a guy who can take over a game. But I look at it differently,” Herbstreit stated. “This is a new coach trying to build a new culture, and your alpha, your best player, is sitting out in a negotiation that isn’t working. On top of that, some of the optics of what he did during camp weren’t good.
“The drama — as always with Dallas — kept going on and on between him, the organization, and Jerry Jones. At this point, it’s probably best to give him the opportunity to go to another franchise, and let Dallas almost start fresh inside the building. They can try to rebuild the culture from the ground up defensively.
“We know what Dak and that offense can do. But if they’re ever going to be real contenders — not just in their division but in the NFC — they have to get better defensively. Now, you ask, how do you get better by losing Micah Parsons? If you’re only looking at it physically, it doesn’t make sense. But what does he do behind the scenes to the culture of the Cowboys?
“For Dallas to decide not to sign him, it must have been significant enough to say, ‘Let’s move on, even though he’s a great player,’ and try to build something that’s more team-oriented. The Little Engine That Could — us against the world. I know it sounds crazy, but I applaud Dallas for letting him go and trying to build a culture of team instead of individual. And I don’t think this is a move for 2025. I think it’s a move for 2026, 2027, and beyond.”