No one said it was going to be easy replacing the best pass rusher on the planet. When the Dallas Cowboys shipped Micah Parsons off to Northwoods of Wisconsin, they knew exactly what they were signing up for.
For four years, Parsons was chasing passers and occupying blockers with league-leading efficiency. His presence was both enormously productive but also extremely helpful for teammates. With so much attention paid to Parsons, fellow Cowboys pass rushers rarely faced double-teams and often flew under the radar in blocking schemes. It allowed them to produce, what appears to be, inflated numbers and a bit of false security in the Dallas front office.
Two games into the new era and the Cowboys are left looking for answers. In Week 1, Dallas allowed the opposing QB a league-leading 3.67 time to throw (TTT) enroute to a four-point loss. In Week 2, they allowed Russell Wilson to cook to the tune of 450 yards and three touchdowns.
In Week 1 the Cowboys chalked it up to just facing the best offensive line in the NFL. In Week 2 they don’t get such an excuse. Residing on the other end of the offensive line spectrum, the Giants are desperately trying to overcome injuries and poor play on nearly every snap. After giving up 14 pressures and 3 sacks to the Commanders in their first game, New York miraculously held the Dallas defense to just 10 pressures and two sacks in a game that featured nearly an entire extra quarter of action.
One hurdle the Cowboys have to clear at some point is figuring out exactly what they have in personnel. Dante Fowler was brought in to be the proven veteran leader of the rotation. He’s coming off a 10.5 sack season but has struggled in his first pair of games with the Cowboys. His one-dimensional focus makes him a liability at times against the run, calling into question his place in the pecking order.
Sam Williams, a player who’s been on the cusp of breaking out for what feels like three years, is struggling to make his impression felt. He’s also been viewed as a liability against the run earning a suboptimal 56.7 grade in run defense by Pro Football Focus.
James Houston is a camp standout who’s been nothing but solid for the Cowboys this season. He’s light in the shorts but has true pass rushing chops making him an ideal edge option in passing situations. Similarly, the rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku is undersized and highly explosive on the edge, but unfortunately, he’s struggled to stay off blocks and often finds himself swallowed up by opposing linemen.
Marshawn Kneeland is likely the most deserving of snaps. He’s a well-rounded player who can provide pressure while also holding up against the run. His Week 2 performance wasn’t as strong as his previous game, but he’s shown enough to demand a big role in 2025.
All the struggles have no doubt played a role in Dallas’ signing of Jadeveon Clowney. The former first-round pick signed on with Dallas over the weekend and figures to demand a prominent role once he gets up to speed. Like Kneeland, he’s good enough against the run to be an every-down player, but unlike Kneeland he also has 58 career sacks on his resume.
The Cowboys pass rushing struggles are all understandable. But they have the personnel available to experiment and as long as defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus is willing to get creative, they have ways of generating pressure even without a generational player like Parsons lining up.
That’s the hope at least.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys struggling to create pass-rush pressure in post-Parsons era
Reporting by Reid D Hanson, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
