Dak Prescott Held Accountable as Cowboys Veteran Addresses Micah Parsons’ Untimely Trade

Dak Prescott’s 2023 season is one that the Cowboys could hang in their trophy room. He set career highs with a 105.9 passer rating and led the league with 36 touchdown passes. He was named a finalist for NFL MVP and finished second in the voting behind Lamar Jackson. Yet despite all the talent and respect, there’s one thing that keeps dragging Prescott and Dallas down: the playoffs.

CeeDee Lamb captured the mixed feelings well: “They are gonna criticize him because of the playoff performance, and rightfully so. I love Dak and I’m with him. I’ve been with him. Everybody knows how talented he is. Arm talent, he has everything. He’s real smart, he’s a leader. The leadership is unquestioned. He has his team ready to run through a wall for him.” But Lamb knows that mere talent and grit aren’t enough for the Cowboys, who have been stuck short of a championship for too long.

That’s where Cowboys veteran Daryl Johnston weighed in clearly and without hesitation during a recent appearance on the Up & Adams show. Kay Adams asked an intriguing question: “Are you sort of saying that this move [to trade Micah] helps the Cowboys in the long run?” He explained, “It kind of goes back to those numbers, you know: TJ Watt, Micah Parsons, and Myles Garrett are two and nine in the playoffs.” Those defenders are among the NFL’s best, yet their playoff records are far from stellar. “Troy Aikman started out 11 and one, 10 and one in the playoffs. Your quarterback is one that drives that game.” Johnston elaborated: “Dak has to play better. Everybody knows that, including Dak Prescott.” Johnston’s message was blunt: it’s time for Prescott to raise his game, especially now that the defense has lost its best player.

That playoff exposure is where Prescott’s record is cold and hard. Over nine seasons, Dak is just 2-5 in the postseason, with zero appearances in a conference championship game, let alone the Super Bowl. The Cowboys have had three 12-5 seasons in that time with Prescott calling the shots. But translating that regular-season consistency into October and January success? Not so much.

The quarterback drives the game. That’s the blunt truth that can’t be avoided. Johnston also referenced Jalen Hurts, who, according to Saquon Barkley, has developed into a more confident team leader this season. “You were just talking about Jalen and everything he means to the Philadelphia Eagles, and not just as a passer, but as that team leader. And for Saquon to come out and talk about how he’s seen a different Jalen, a more confident Jalen going into this season, that’s the driver of the position, and that’s for the team,” Johnston explained. Dak Prescott has all the tools he’s ever needed and a roster. But the biggest hurdle remains: finding the next-level consistency to get past those playoff roadblocks.

And now, with Micah Parsons, the Cowboys’ best defensive player and a 3-time Pro Bowler, traded away, the spotlight on Prescott burns even hotter. Parsons was a force disrupting opponents’ offenses and a pillar on Dallas’ defense.

Why trading Parsons was a good move

Now, Parsons’ departure leaves a vacuum – and Johnston made sure it’s clear who now must carry the load. “That offense has got to find a way to get back to playing football the way that we saw them in those 12 and five seasons, but they also need to get over that hurdle,” Johnston said. “I think the big thing about the trade is where Micah went to. I think that’s one of the things that has a lot of people questioning, well, why would you do that? ”

The trade that stunned Cowboys fans sent Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. The very team in their conference and division rivals, no less, for two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark. Johnston weighed in on the puzzling decision: “Obviously, you’d love to make sure, number one, he’s not in your division. Number two, he’s not in your conference. But when you have to make a deal like that, and you’ve got to make that deal, if you have to go with the Green Bay Packers because that’s the only way it’s going to happen, then that’s who you have to work with as your trade partner.”

Dallas may have wanted to avoid strengthening a conference foe. But the harsh NFL reality was that this was the best or only deal on the table. And now, Johnston said, Dallas fans will be watching how Micah Parsons impacts that Packers team. “What impact does Micah Parsons have on that team? Would Jordan Love and the offensive side of the ball be in a pretty good position to be a good complementary piece to that Green Bay defense?” Johnston asked rhetorically. In other words, he’s a game-changer, and Dallas just let him walk across the NFC East aisle.