“I think at the end of the day, we feel like Micah’s going to be out there when we line up against Philadelphia here in 15 days or whatever it is,” Brian Schottenheimer’s optimistic opinion is quite refreshing. Otherwise, the air is quite tense with Jerry Jones and Micah Parsons’ contract dispute taking a new turn almost every day. This has only raised more doubts about whether the DE will suit up for the Week 1 game. Will the Cowboys be able to handle the Eagles without Parsons? NFL experts don’t seem to have a very bright outlook.

On their podcast Inside Coverage, NFL writer Frank Schwab, senior NFL reporter Charles Robinson, and senior betting analyst Ben Fawkes broke down the Cowboys–Micah Parsons standoff. Schwab set the tone bluntly: “Jerry Jones is spiting his team right here because I don’t think there’s a .500 team without Micah Parsons.” Fawkes jumped in with numbers, pointing out that while Dallas nailed the hard part by drafting stars, the “easy” part should’ve been paying them. “The Cowboys, they’ve done the tough part. They’ve drafted stars… This is kind of set. It’s just does Jerry want to pay or not, and the price isn’t going down as we get closer and closer to the season.”

Instead, Jerry is dragging his feet while the price tag only climbs. He highlighted how bookmakers have reacted. Cowboys win total set at just 7.5, their lowest since 2003, and Super Bowl odds at 50-1, their weakest since 2014. Even with 60% of bets hitting the over, Fawkes said that it all hinges on Parsons being on the field. Without him, Dallas lacks depth, and the collapse could be fast.

Schwab didn’t hold back either, reminding listeners that Dallas’ defense was “wasn’t good” in the rare stretches Parsons missed last year due to injury. The splits are glaring. With Parsons, the Cowboys have a unit that can dominate anyone. Without him, they look like one of the league’s worst. He also noted how their struggles against Philly have been persistent, pointing back to the ugly 41-7 loss to the Eagles last November. If that happens with Parsons in uniform, it’s hard to imagine how ugly it could get if he’s sidelined during this year’s showdown.

Charles Robinson rounded things out, estimating that Dallas probably wins just seven games without Parsons, maybe nine with him. That gap is why the stakes are so high. He floated the idea that Dallas might “burn” this season and draw a hard line on Parsons’ contract now, rather than cave and compromise their bigger Super Bowl window in the years ahead. “So, the pressure is there… Thinking you’re burning a year of a Super Bowl window… Maybe if you’re sitting there and you’re kind of playing it out. You’re saying it’s better to burn the year. Make the stand now than affect what we believe is going to be a larger window down the line.” It’s a bold strategy. But as the pod made clear, without Parsons, the Cowboys aren’t just negotiating from weakness in the locker room. They’d be walking into 2025 already playing from behind.

Before Philly looms, Dallas first sees Atlanta with a 90-man roster. And the Falcons’ line is wobbling. Kaleb McGary was carted off this week with a leg injury, while backup Storm Norton just had ankle surgery and will miss at least six weeks. That leaves head coach Raheem Morris scrambling, with the 53-man roster deadline days away and one preseason game left to test who can hold the edge. The finale against Dallas becomes less about the scoreboard and more about figuring out if the depth behind McGary can keep rookie QB Michael Penix Jr. and veteran Kirk Cousins upright when September arrives.

But the real storm for Dallas brews after. The Cowboys know when the Eagles come, Micah Parsons will have to be front and center. Yet Jerry Jones’ latest comments — questioning just how much Dallas should rely on their defensive superstar amid contract noise — may have complicated things. A week that should be about evaluating backups and reserves now doubles as a reminder. The Cowboys’ path to beating Philadelphia still runs through Parsons, no matter the distraction.

Did Jerry Jones stir the pot again?

As the regular season nears, Parsons remains without an extension deal, and the conversation around his future in Dallas is only getting more complicated. Speaking to Michael Irvin on his podcast, Jones shared several details about the negotiations. As per Jones, the Cowboys had already worked out the contract and other details with Parsons directly. But he said things broke down when agent David Mulugheta stepped in, pushing back on the deal.

Jones went as far as to accuse Mulugheta of dismissing the team’s offer. “When we wanted to send the details to the agent, the agent told us to stick it up our a–,” Jones shared. This quickly went viral on social media. The other side hasn’t been silent on the matter.

Mulugheta, however, quickly denied Jones’s story. In a conversation with ESPN’s Ryan Clark, the agent said the accusation was completely false and even laughed at the idea. “This never happened. This is just another public way to make this situation, which is already ugly, even uglier. David Mulugheta in no way has ever told Jerry Jones, or any other general manager or owner, that. It’s all bullcrap, it’s all lies,” he told Ryan.

With each conversation, the hope for a peaceful deal between the Cowboys and Parsons seems to be slipping away. “I’ve agreed to give more money than has ever been given in terms of guaranteed money than anyone ever has as far as a defensive player,” Jones said. Right now, the highest guarantee belongs to Myles Garrett at $123.5 million. Parsons is in his fifth year with the team. The tension will only keep growing as we approach the season opener.