How Cowboys can stay afloat after Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence injuries; can Dak Prescott save the day?

The Dallas Cowboys secured a much-needed victory Thursday night with a triumphant 20-15 slog of a win at the New York Giants to improve to 2-2.

However, the win came at high price: Dallas’ best two edge rushers suffered injuries. Three-time All-Pro Micah Parsons departed on a cart in the fourth quarter with what’s now reported as a high-ankle sprain, and four-time Pro Bowler DeMarcus Lawrence is expected to be out multiple weeks with a foot injury he suffered in the second half. Lawrence was seen on the game broadcast getting his foot taped and worked on, but he did not return to action after the injury. It would be reasonable to expect both could miss at the least next two weeks at the 3-0 Pittsburgh Steelers (Week 5) and versus the 2-1 Detroit Lions before Dallas’ Week 7 bye. 

Now, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones’ reliance on youth and low budget veterans as depth pieces from his “all-in” offseason that transformed into the “get it done with less” offseason will be tested. Veteran rotation edge rushers like Dorance Armstrong (three years, $33 million) and Dante Fowler Jr. (one year, $3.25 million) were allowed to walk in free agency, and they both followed former Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to the NFC East rival Washington Commanders. 

That leaves 2024 second-round pick Marshawn Kneeland, 26-year-old veteran Chauncey Golston, second-year undrafted veteran Tyrus Wheat and post-Achilles tear veteran Carl Lawson. Lawson has been elevated off the practice squad in each of the last two weeks, and a third elevation will be his last before Dallas has to sign him to the 53-man roster. 

The Cowboys will most likely be banking on Kneeland, the rookie out of Western Michigan, to have an impact similar to that of cornerback DaRon Bland, who as a rookie became an impactful starter when pressed into duty after injuries to starters. Kneeland has yet to record his first regular-season sack, but his six quarterback pressures are tied for the fourth-most among rookies this season. 

Most QB Pressures
2024 Rookie Class

It will certainly be a group effort when rushing the passer and setting the edge in the run game for a defense that finally put a fight on the ground after entering Week 4 ranking dead last in the league in rushing yards per game allowed (185.7) and yards per carry allowed (5.4). Their Week 4 performance against the Giants was outstanding, allowing a light 26 rushing yards on 24 New York carries. That is the Cowboys’ fewest yards per carry allowed (1.08) in a game when facing 20 or more carries in franchise history, per CBS Sports Research. 

Defensive tackle Mazi Smith, Dallas’ 2023 first-round pick, played up to his draft status Thursday night, earning an 88.5 Pro Football Focus defensive grade, the best of any defender on the field on “Thursday Night Football” while clogging up rush lanes and wreaking havoc in the interior. Parsons’ 79.5 PFF defensive grade was the next best on Thursday for either team after Smith. His ascendance, which began in the fourth quarter almost comeback against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3, could go a long way in also mitigating the impact of the Lawrence and Parsons injuries. 

External help

Following top-dollar extensions for 2023 Second Team All-Pro quarterback Dak Prescott (four years, $240 million) and 2023 First Team All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (four years, $136 million), Jones’ Cowboys have $23.8 million in effective cap space this season, the seventh-most in the NFL at the moment, per OverTheCap.com, thanks to being able to spread out their stars’ respective cap hits. 

That does give Jones the latitude to make a trade for a veteran edge rusher in the interim until Parsons and/or Lawrence return. Dallas owns the rights to each of its draft picks in Rounds 1-6 in 2025. The Cowboys also have each of their own picks in Rounds 1-5 in 2026 and then two extra seventh-round draft choices on top of their own thanks to trading tight end Peyton Hendershot to the Chiefs and acquiring defensive tackle Jordan Phillips from the New York Giants. 

Sure, it’s early in the season for teams to be parting with vets, but Jones can at least make a few calls. The Chargers, who are in the process of rebuilding with a new regime, could be amenable to trading 33-year-old, eight-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Khalil Mack for compensation in the realm of Day 3 pick. He is in the final year of his current contract with a cap hit of $25.4 million. Sure, that’s slightly over what Dallas possesses, but a couple restructures could be enough to slot Mack into the front seven. His 17.0 sacks at age 32 in 2023 were the fourth-most in the NFL, and he is already up to two-and-a-half this season through three games. A cheaper option could be Dolphins veteran Emmanuel Ogbah, whose cap hit is a small $3.2 million on a one-year deal. 

More required from QB Dak Prescott, Cowboys offense

Given Dallas will be without it’s top two edge rushers, it would be reasonable to project the Cowboys defense may need some offensive help to pick up the slack. It’s unfair to expect Kneeland and Co. to completely replace the disruption that Parsons and Lawrence create. 

Prescott balled out in Week 4 despite minimal help from both coach Mike McCarthy’s scheme and his run game. Prescott let it rip with precision, concluding his night with an efficient 221 yards on 22 of 27 passing, including a 15-yard touchdown pass on a screen to running back Rico Dowdle and a 55-yard catch-and-run score to All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. He completed 13 of his 14 passes in the quick passing game, under 2.5 seconds, for 143 passing yards and both of his touchdowns. In short, he was locked in. 

However, it’s miraculous Prescott was able to succeed at the level in which he did considering Dallas is below league average or in some cases, bottom-10 and bottom-5 in the NFL in rushing offense as well as play-action, motion and screen-play usage. The 2024 Cowboys offense simply doesn’t have many easy buttons for Prescott to hit. Prescott leads the NFL with a tight window throw rate of 27.5%, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. That says a lot about Dallas’ lack of separation and creativity thus far in 2024. That being said, they still need more from the face of their franchise anyways. 

Cowboys offense in 2024

Lamb’s bounce back that he proclaimed would come is massive: he totaled 98 yards on seven catches, including the 55-yard score. However, Prescott will need to continue to be Superman to overcome his offensive ecosystem outside of Lamb, and it wouldn’t hurt for McCarthy to get a little more creative with his offensive structure. Dallas may also need to get active and trade for a running back since the committee of undrafted veteran Dowdle, late stage Ezekiel Elliott and 2023 sixth-round pick Deuce Vaughn just isn’t working. 

It’s time for Dallas’ defensive youth to prove its worth, and perhaps for Jones to finally start acting a little more “all in.” Prescott certainly is with his play despite the circumstances. It’s now on the rest of the Cowboys to meet him at his level. Otherwise, the 2024 season could slip away from them in a hurry.