Now that the dust has settled on the Dallas Cowboys’ seismic trade of Micah Parsons on Thursday afternoon, reactions and new realities have set in for the current Cowboys in the locker room as they move toward their new era without Parsons, a four-time Pro Bowler.
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who spoke to the media on Sunday for the first time since the trade, said there didn’t need to be any discussions with the team following the trade. Instead, the focus has shifted into a game week that is quickly approaching: the season opener against the Eagles on Thursday night.
“I can’t say I was completely surprised,” Prescott said of the trade. “But I definitely didn’t think he was going to get traded, I’ll say that. But just with the way the negotiations went down, it seemed like it got personal on their end, so that’s why I wasn’t surprised.”
The cloud of the dispute between Parsons and the team put some level of stress on the locker room, according to Prescott’s comments. Not having the ongoing battle hanging over their week 1 preparations has been beneficial early in the game week.
“If nothing would’ve been done, we’d sit here and y’all still would’ve been asking me whether he was playing in a couple days or when he was going to be playing,” Prescott said. “That would have been a lot more of a headache and distraction than getting a solution to it.”
Prescott indicated that the shock of the trade has worn off in the locker room. Especially with the Cowboys’ franchise, the understanding of the business side of things creates a new perception for players getting into the league. Whether they’re young or a veteran, Cowboys players understand the other side of the coin.
“I just think that was just another realization of it, of this is a business,” Prescott said. “If anything, I hope it was a wakeup call to some of the guys. This is for our life, and every day you come in here and you approach it like it is for your life.”
Whether the team is better or worse after the trade remains to be seen, as defensive tackle Kenny Clark fully participated in practice on Sunday for the first time since arriving from Green Bay. Prescott isn’t getting lost in that question, either.
“I’m not going to say we’re better, we’ve got to go out there and prove it,” Prescott said. “We had to prove it even if [Parsons] was on this team, so I’m not going to say that by any means. But I know what adding a guy like Kenny Clark ... adding a true leader, a real man that’s going to only elevate this team, who’s been a Pro Bowl player and is excited about being here.”