Micah Parsons might be going a little too far with his optimistic view of the Dallas Cowboys amid one of the most disastrous seasons in franchise history.

The Cowboys’ home loss to the Houston Texans on Monday night dropped them 3-7 on the season. With quarterback Dak Prescott (hamstring) done for the season, Micah Parsons’ Cowboys are far more likely to land the first-overall pick than they are to finish with a winning record.

Dallas was already a mediocre team with Prescott (3-5) before he required season-ending surgery. The defense has completely unraveled under new coordinator Mike Zimmer, allowing the second-most points per game (29.3) heading into Week 12.

Despite the nightmare season, Micah Parsons offered an overly optimistic perspective on the Cowboys’ season. Here’s what he told teammate Trevon Diggs on the latest edition of his “The Edge” podcast:

“I’m gonna put this out there, we’re a damn good football team. I know these scores ain’t showing it and I know people feel like we’ve got so many missing pieces…I think our defense has really turned things around. Up until that last quarter when they got that touchdown on defense, we only gave up those two touchdowns in that first quarter. Other than that we gave up six points in the other two quarters.”

The fact is, the Cowboys are a lousy football team. Two of their victories are against the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants, who are both 2-8. They beat a quality Pittsburgh Steelers team in Week 5, but that was also with backup Justin Fields behind center while Russell Wilson was sidelined.

But a team leader and franchise star like Micah Parsons has no choice but to look at the positives amid a miserable season. It’s easier to stay optimistic than to accept that this is an extremely flawed team put together by Jerry Jones, with no signs of a turnaround.

Micah Parsons Is About To Get Paid

2025 will mark the final year of Parsons’ rookie contract, and Jones would be foolish (then again, don’t put it past him) to drag out negotiations. Jones’ master plan to prolong new deals for Prescott and CeeDee Lamb blew up in his face, and he can’t afford to make the same mistake with Parsons.

The 2021 first-round pick has cemented himself as a top-five defensive player in football. The Cowboys need to secure his extension as soon as possible in the offseason, and then get to work in actually improving their roster.