Dallas, TX
How Mike Zimmer, Cowboys plan to compensate for absence of Dallas’ defensive ‘motor’
FRISCO — DeMarcus Lawrence had his leg resting on a scooter and took off for the training room the moment reporters entered the locker room.
Micah Parsons wasn’t as quick. He was sitting in front of his locker, putting on a protective boot for his high ankle sprain, when he was surrounded.
“Yeah, it’s time to man up,” Parsons said. “For sure.
“I’m very confident in these guys.”
Next man up is a phrase uttered in every NFL locker room once a player goes down. Losing players to injury over the course of a season is inevitable.
But compensating for the absences of Parsons and Lawrence is a big ask for this Dallas defense.
Parsons is one of the league’s elite pass rushers. His injury typically takes two to four weeks. Mike McCarthy said the Cowboys are preparing to face Pittsburgh this weekend without their best defensive player.
Lawrence will be out even longer. The veteran defensive end suffered a Lisfranc injury to his foot. It won’t require surgery, but several people with knowledge of Lawrence’s status put the timetable for his return at four to eight weeks, with the back of that range the more likely target.
Dallas will place Lawrence on injured reserve in the coming days, meaning he will miss a minimum of four games, a person with knowledge of the club’s thinking told The Dallas Morning News. Discussions are ongoing, but the plan for now is to elevate defensive end Carl Lawson from the practice squad for Sunday’s game and bring in several players for a workout.
None come close to what Parsons and Lawrence bring to this defense.
“Those are two dynamic guys,” defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer said. “Good leaders, good team guys.
“We’ll have to make some adjustments and see how it goes.”
Parsons is a focal point for every opponent. Accounting for where he lines up and how to neutralize him is where the offensive game plan starts.
The Steelers won’t have that concern. There’s no one player the Cowboys can plug into his hybrid role. Zimmer said he will just have to figure out how he intends to use other players and come up with a plan that plays to their strengths.
It will be a collective effort, not an individual one.
“That’s it,” McCarthy said. “It’s not like you take one player and put him in and give him the exact same responsibility in reps that Micah had or what D-Law had. It’s going to be a combination of things.
“You let the game plan bring that to light.”
The injuries open the door for rookie Marshawn Kneeland and veteran Chauncey Golston to move into the starting lineup.
The Cowboys took Kneeland in the second round to be Lawrence’s heir apparent. It turns out his time is sooner than later.
The Western Michigan defensive lineman has gotten off to a good start. But he’ll get even more snaps now.
“He’s a hard playing dude, likes to get physical,” Zimmer said. “He’s very coachable and soaks up a lot of the coaching.
“He’s a really good guy. I’m glad we got him.”
Parsons talked to Kneeland on Friday and told the rookie he was going to need to step up until he was able to return. Kneeland took it the wrong way, thinking that Parsons was questioning whether or not he was ready for the added responsibility.
“You don’t understand,” Parsons responded. “When I say step up I don’t mean just playing.
“Like you got to lead now. You lost your two veterans. You got to lead, you got to carry these guys. You got to communicate, talk to them, like bring these other guys with you.
“You’ve got to be the guy for us.”
Golston has bounced from inside to outside in his four years with the Cowboys. In the words of McCarthy, the defensive lineman has worn a lot of hats.
He’s a defensive end now. Golston has played the run well from that spot but his pass rush has been limited.
“He’s going to get some more playing time and get more opportunities in the passing game,” Zimmer said.
Golston has just 4.5 sacks for his career. One of those came this season. Parsons said his teammate reminds him of former NFL defensive end Cameron Wake in terms of his build and wingspan.
“With his length and ability and the way he can pass rush, being able to utilize it, I think he can be very, very, very good,” Parsons said.
“Those long arms, the things he is able to do with them, he’s going to be very good. I’m excited to see how he performs.
“He’s always talking about waiting for his opportunity. He’s got one one. I’m waiting to see it.”
Lawson will be part of the rotation on the outside along with Tyrus Wheat. Since Lawson will be out of elevations after Sunday’s game, he’ll need to be placed on the active roster going forward. That leaves a spot on the practice squad to bring in another player.
But replacing Parsons and Lawrence? That won’t happen.
“Those guys are the motor,” cornerback Jourdan Lewis said. “They make this thing go. Especially when we’ve got guys that make players like that. It’s contagious how they play.
“It’s definitely hard and we’re gonna have to find ways to supplement that because there’s no way you can replace it. So you gotta go out there and find ways to attack offenses you know, without those guys.”
Catch David Moore and Robert Wilonsky as they co-host Intentional Grounding on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM) every Wednesday from 7-8 p.m. through the Super Bowl.
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Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Dallas, TX
A look at Dallas Cowboys’ 2026 NFL draft picks after Osa Odighizuwa, Solomon Thomas trades
Entering Wednesday, the Cowboys had seven selections in the upcoming draft and no Day 2 picks going into the first day of the NFL League Year.
By the end of the business day, the Cowboys gained an extra draft pick — and it will be on Day 2.
Dallas traded defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to San Francisco for a third-round pick, No. 92 overall. The team also traded defensive tackle Solomon Thomas to the Tennessee Titans and swapped seventh-round selections, moving from No. 225 to No. 218.
Dallas now has eight draft picks, three in the Top 100 and two fifth-round selections that are compensatory.
The biggest thing was getting a Day 2 pick.
The Cowboys originally had picks No. 12 and No. 20 in the first round and wouldn’t pick again until No. 112 in the fourth round.
Dallas gave up Day 2 picks (second and third rounds) in trades for Quinnen Williams (New York Jets) and George Pickens (Pittsburgh Steelers) last year.
Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones was determined to get back into the second or third rounds and moving Odighizuwa, a 2021 third-round selection, to the 49ers to get back into the second day of the draft has proven vital.
In recent years, the Cowboys have struggled to get good value with their second-round picks.
Taking a gamble on players coming off injury or with troubled backgrounds was something the Cowboys wanted to do in the second round.
Jones said at the NFL scouting combine that the team was no longer planning on doing that, considering the issues the defense had last season.
The third round has proved a little more successful. Cooper Beebe (2023) is a starting center and DeMarvion Overshown (2023) at linebacker is a reliable performer. Injuries, however, have slowed Overshown’s development in his brief time in the NFL.
Dallas is hopeful last year’s Day 2 picks, Donovan Ezeiruaku (second round) and Shavon Revel (third round), emerge as starters in 2026.
Revel recovered from knee surgery and played in seven games. Ezeiruaku played 17 games with nine starts at defensive end. Ezeiruaku, who underwent offseason hip surgery, will move to outside linebacker in the new 3-4 defensive scheme.
Also, the Cowboys have the ability to use one of their two first-round picks to move up in the draft or package the third-rounder acquired in the Odighizuwa trade to gain more picks.
Cowboys 2026 draft picks
| Round | Overall |
|---|---|
| First round | No. 12 |
| First round | No. 20 |
| Third round | No. 92 |
| Fourth round | No. 112 |
| Fifth round | No. 152 |
| Fifth round | No. 177* |
| Fifth round | No. 180* |
| Seventh round | No. 218 |
| *Comp pick |
Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
The Dallas Cowboys were initially in the mix for Las Vegas Raiders superstar pass rusher Maxx Crosby ahead of NFL free agency, and were believed to be one of the finalists in trade talks. However, he was ultimately traded to the Baltimore Ravens for two first-round picks.
Now, the NFL world has been turned on its head with the Ravens deciding to pull out of the trade agreement with Las Vegas.
On Tuesday night, NFL insider Adam Schefter was among the experts discussing what went wrong between the Raiders and Ravens, revealing that Cowboys team physician Dr. Daniel Cooper, one of the premier knee specialists, played a role in the Ravens’ evaluation of Crosby.
Schefter discussed how Dr. Cooper was among the doctors who reviewed scans on Crosby’s knee, which ultimately spooked the Ravens and triggered the end of the deal.
“The Baltimore Ravens essentially failed him on their physical, and my understanding is there were multiple doctors that reviewed his MRI scans,” Schefter said. “There were doctors that examined him, including Dr. Daniel Cooper, the Dallas Cowboys doctor that performed surgery on Patrick Mahomes and Malik Nabers.
“Many teams and players rely on Dr. Cooper’s expertise, and Dr. Cooper was one of the doctors who reviewed the images where the Ravens then felt compelled to back out of this trade.”
It’s hard not to connect the dots that Dr. Cooper’s involvement in the medical review of Crosby led to the team deciding against re-engaging in trade discussions. Though that could change, currently, the Cowboys are expected to move forward with Pro Bowl EDGE Rashan Gary, who the team agreed to acquire from the Green Bay Packers for a 2027 fourth-round pick on the first day of legal tampering.
It will be interesting to continue monitoring the situation and its fallout, which has left the Raiders in a terrible position.
But, with the Raiders now forced to re-examine the money they committed to free agents on Wednesday evening, they may have to pull out of one of their own agreements, which could open the door for the Cowboys to reopen their pursuit of a linebacker like Nakobe Dean or Quay Walker.
The 2026 NFL calendar year officially begins on Wednesday, March 11, at 4:00 p.m. ET, so get your popcorn ready, because it’s going to be a wild ride.
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Dallas Cowboys Nation’s hopes of landing superstar pass rusher Maxx Crosby were dashed last weekend when it was announced that he was being traded to the Baltimore Ravens. However, less than 24 hours before the new year, the trade has fallen apart.
On Tuesday night, the Las Vegas Raiders announced that the Ravens have backed out of the trade.
“The Baltimore Ravens have backed out of our trade agreement for Maxx Crosby,” the statement read. “We will have no further comment at this time.”
The news sends a major ripple for the league, with the Crosby sweepstakes once again open. Before his trade to the Ravens, the Cowboys were considered one of the teams closely monitoring the situation and a team that made a legitimate offer for Crosby.
At this time, there is no word on why the trade between Las Vegas and Baltimore fell through. When the trade was first reported, the Raiders were set to receive a 2026 and 2027 first-round pick from the Ravens.
Now, his future is in limbo. Before he was traded to the Ravens, it was believed that the Cowboys, Chicago Bears, and Los Angeles Rams were the top candidates to land him. In fact, the Cowboys were “considered runner-ups” in the sweepstakes.
Dallas’ Original Trade Offer
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Cowboys initially offered the No. 12 overall pick in the 2026 draft, a 2027 second-round pick, and an unnamed veteran player.
“Dallas kept a hard line throughout. The franchise wasn’t willing to part with two first-round picks, hoping its 12th pick in April’s draft, plus a future second-rounder, would be enough to entice Las Vegas. Dallas was also willing to package a veteran player to sweeten the deal, but Vegas wasn’t interested in that. The Raiders prioritized picks,” Fowler wrote.
Last season, Crosby recorded 73 total tackles, 28 tackles for a loss, 20 quarterback hits, 10 sacks, two forced fumbles, and an interception.
We’ll have to see if Dallas ends up being his new home, now that the team has a second chance to make something special happen, but there will be some serious competition. The 2026 NFL calendar year officially begins on Wednesday, March 11, at 4:00 p.m. ET.
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