The Dallas Cowboys have entered damage control mode with Micah Parsons no longer a member of the team.
There was reportedly a “mix of shock and surprise” within the Cowboys locker room once news broke that Parsons was being traded to the Green Bay Packers. According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, Parsons first shared the news with the team’s defensive linemen and linebackers. The news quickly spread to every positional group’s designated group chat.
With the locker room in disarray over the seismic trade, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer felt the need to address his players. His message: “Nothing’s changed.”
“My goals haven’t changed, Our team goals haven’t changed,” Schottenheimer said. “I hit the players on that today after I talked about just the tough couple days for all the guys, and it doesn’t change. The standard is the standard. I said that.
“With all the new pieces and people we had in there, I needed to hit the goal, which is to win a world’s championship. I needed to hit that we also want to build one of the greatest professional sports cultures in the world. That’s part of the deal when you add new pieces, you have to make sure they understand your vision.”
Schottenheimer also personally called about a dozen players to check up on them. Quarterback Dak Prescott and cornerback Trevon Diggs, who had a close relationship with Parsons, were among those who received personal calls.
Based on the current state of the Cowboys’ roster and coaching staff, you would have thought that an actual tornado had destroyed their practice facility. But that’s just how impactful Parsons is on the field and how big a void his departure leaves behind.
Parsons earned two first-team All-Pro nods and had three top-3 finishes in Defensive Player of the Year voting in his four years with the Cowboys. The Penn State alum recorded at least 12.0 sacks in each of those campaigns. He kept that streak alive last season despite missing four games due to injury.
The 26-year-old star linebacker brings all those accolades with him to the Packers, who have already started giving Parsons special treatment.
