As always, Jerry Jones came under significant scrutiny when the Dallas Cowboys traded Micah Parsons ahead of the 2025 season. Many argued that a team shouldn’t trade a player like Parsons while he was still in his prime. The Cowboys, however, had other plans. That decision backfired when Dallas produced one of the league’s worst defensive performances during the 2025 season.

That performance ultimately led to defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus’ firing, with the Cowboys bringing in Christian Parker to replace him ahead of the 2026 season. Jerry Jones, meanwhile, was tasked with rebuilding the defense. While the owner and general manager signed, traded for, and drafted several defensive players, former Cowboys defensive end Marcus Spears believes the Parsons trade ultimately turned out well for the team.

“I got to give Jerry credit because I’m on Jerry’s a** all the time about things that he do,” said Spears on The Pat McAfee Show. “But I definitely got to give him credit for the aftermath of trading Micah Parsons. He’s turned this into a really good pickup, a lot of things he’s done. And this front office has done- look, you don’t replace Micah because we know him as an individual. But by committee, when you look at this group and some of the benefits that you are able to have by trading Micah, it’s turned into pretty good. Now, they got to go ball.”

The Cowboys’ defensive rebuild began last season itself. The team traded for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets at the 2025 trade deadline in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick, and DT Mazi Smith. Williams made an impact during the season, recording 21 total tackles and 1.5 sacks.

Still, the Cowboys’ defensive woes were far from over. The unit ranked among the worst in the league in scoring defense, allowing 30.1 points per game, while ranking 30th in total defense, allowing over 6,400 total yards, 377 yards per game. The pass defense was arguably the biggest disaster, as the unit allowed 4,521 passing yards.

“We want to, while Dak [Prescott] is playing the game and got it down the way he’s got it, we want to get out here and do better than what we did this year,” Jerry Jones said after the Cowboys’ season was over. “So a combination of those things give us the incentive to, dare I say it, bust the budget to try to get something down now, yes. We’ll do some dramatic things.”

For a broader context, Dallas took an aggressive approach to rebuilding their defense, using trades and free agency to add several established players. They traded for Rashan Gary in a trade with Green Bay and signed Jalen Thompson, P.J. Locke, Cobie Durant, and Derion Kendrick in free agency.

The Cowboys also added Dee Winters in a draft-day trade with San Francisco and, later in the offseason, signed veteran pass rusher Von Miller. Dallas also heavily invested in the defense through the 2026 NFL Draft. The Cowboys traded up from No. 12 to No. 11 to select Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, then traded down from No. 20 to No. 23 and selected UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence, acquiring two additional fourth-round picks in the process.

Those picks helped Dallas draft Florida cornerback Devin Moore and Alabama defensive lineman LT Overton. With the No. 92 pick, which came from the trade involving Osa Odighizuwa, the Cowboys selected Michigan linebacker Jaishawn Barham.

That said, the Cowboys are now expected to make the playoffs after failing to do so in each of the last two seasons. While the defense disappointed last year, it will be worth watching how these new signings, trades, and draft picks come together and impact the team during the 2026 season.