The writing was on the wall before the year got started, but the first nine weeks of the season have served as verifiable evidence of the impact losing Micah Parsons had on the Dallas Cowboys. Without their superstar edge rusher, the defense has been able to offer no resistance, directly leading to a 3-5-1 record.
If the team wanted to remain competitive this season, then changes were necessary, or the hopes of a playoff push would evaporate very quickly. As a result, a blockbuster trade to bring in Quinnen Williams gave some much-needed help on the defensive front. And, it has given a ton of confidence to franchise quarterback Dak Prescott.
Dak Prescott Overjoyed by Quinnen Williams’ Addition
Throughout the year, a lacklustre defense has served as their Achilles heel. Ranked as the second-worst unit on PFSN’s Defense Impact, it has led to some extremely underwhelming outings, like the losses to the Carolina Panthers, the Denver Broncos, and the Arizona Cardinals.
But their defensive deficiencies were easy to see with the personnel on the roster. With an offense that boasts the highest-paid player in NFL history as well as a superstar wide receiver in CeeDee Lamb, it would have been hard to give up on the season entirely.
Before their Week 9 clash against the Cardinals, owner and general manager Jerry Jones claimed that trades were incoming for the team to improve any shortcomings they may have had during the year. Naturally, fans took that to assume that the team was trading for defenders. As it turned out, Dallas did not disappoint. Firstly, they brought in Logan Wilson from the Cincinnati Bengals, before adding Williams from the New York Jets.
The relief from Prescott was obvious, as he exclaimed, “I’m f*cking pumped. You can quote me on that.”
Ranked 10th on PFSN’s Defensive Tackle Impact, the production that Williams can provide is undeniable. However, the move does leave the Cowboys with minimal flexibility when it comes to the future. Despite gaining a massive haul from the Green Bay Packers in exchange for Parsons, the two trades have taken away most of that surplus.
Both moves should help the team, at least in the short term, as they try to salvage this season without fully giving up. And it should help lessen some of the burden on the offense, which has been doing all of the heavy lifting for the franchise to begin the year.
Unless the new combination ends up working out for them, it might become another tale of a trigger move by Jones that ultimately ends up costing the franchise.