Okay, there's no getting around the fact that no move the Dallas Cowboys (or any NFL team, for that matter) made this offseason could be considered more weird or wild or puzzling or whatever other word you want to throw in there than Jerry Jones trading Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers.
And there's no use pretending there was, so we won't. But let's also not pretend that shipping Parsons out of the Lone Star State was the only questionable move Jones has made over the last six months. So, in the interest of giving you a little Cowboys content that doesn't revolve around Michael - sorry, I swear I meant Micah - let's put some focus on a few of those for a change.
Now, for those familiar with The Expendables franchise (or even for those who aren't), one of the things Sylvester Stallone wanted to do when putting those movies together was to give several former stars who'd fallen off the map a bit a chance to revive their careers.
Now, is it just me, or does that feel similar to some of the actions Jones took during the offseason by bringing in not one, not two, not three, but four former first-round picks who haven't tasted glory in quite some time? Sorry, we threw a little LeBron James in there as well.
The four former collegiate superstars we're referencing, of course, are all defensive players, as America's Team added Solomon Thomas and Payton Turner in free agency and Kenneth Murray Jr. and Kaiir Elam via trade. Let's have a quick look at these four first-rounders and where each fits in with Matt Eberflus' Dallas defense.
Solomon Thomas, DT
The eldest of the group is defensive tackle Solomon Thomas, who was taken with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 draft by the San Francisco 49ers, with whom he spent four seasons before playing one campaign for the Las Vegas Raiders and three with the New York Jets.
Now, we know PFF grades aren't everything, but the fact that the best overall defensive grade the Stanford alum has received in his career was a 62.5 in 2018 is telling, as is the fact that he's failed to even get past 50 in each of the past five years. Solomon has long been not much more than a rotational depth piece, and that's all he's going to be in Dallas, especially with the arrival of Kenny Clark.
Kenneth Murray Jr., LB
If DeMarvion Overshown hadn't gotten hurt late last year, one has to wonder if Kenneth Murray Jr. would have a star on his helmet right now. But here we are.
Taken 23rd overall in 2020 by the Los Angeles Chargers, the Oklahoma alum, who spent all three of his years in Norman teaming with CeeDee Lamb, racked up 321 total tackles in his four years with the Bolts but lacked overall consistency in most areas.
That trend continued last year with the Tennessee Titans, to whom Jones sent a sixth-round pick in this year's draft to acquire Murray and a seventh-rounder, which Dallas used on running back Phil Mafah. Murray will open the year in the starting lineup, but with fifth-round rookie Shemar James waiting in the wings, he'll need to be at his very best to stay there.
Payton Turner, DE
Defensive end Payton Turner was taken 28th overall by the New Orleans Saints in 2021 but appeared in just 31 games in his four seasons in the Big Easy due to various injuries.
So, the fact that Turner will start this season on the injured reserve/designated to return list with broken ribs doesn't bode well for the Cowboys. Even when he does return, the Houston alum may not see all that many snaps, as his standing on the depth chart wasn't all that great to begin with.
Kaiir Elam, CB
With the Cowboys not really knowing when Trevon Diggs would be ready to go and the loss of Jourdan Lewis, Jones struck a deal with the Buffalo Bills to acquire 2022 first-rounder Kaiir Elam, which likely didn't upset too many people in western New York, as the former Florida Gator took a lot of the blame for the Bills' loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC title game this past January.
Like the others on this list, Elam has never lived up to his draft status, which naturally didn't have Dallas fans overly excited for his arrival. But after watching the 24-year-old look a lot more like the player that made him a first-round pick in the first place during training camp, there's much more optimism than when the deal first went down.
With a healthy Diggs and Elam and DaRon Bland having the ability to play both in the slot and on the perimeter, the Cowboys can run all sorts of interesting sets against opposing offenses.
We now just wait to see if Jerry Jones' Expendables-like experiment works out. If the movies themselves are any indication, we're looking at a 50/50 shot, which pretty much describes the Dallas Cowboys as a whole right about now.
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