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Micah Parsons, formerly of the Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys trading away Micah Parsons was without question one of the more blockbuster moves of the past decade.

Although it landed Dallas with two future first round picks in 2026 and 2027, along with keen run-stopping nose guard, Kenny Clark, there is still a gap in the team’s depth chart at edge rusher.

So, in this trade proposal, the Cowboys make a play for Atlanta Falcons defensive end, Arnold Ebiketie, to help give them a bona fide starter at the position – at least for the coming season.

Why The Falcons Could Be Willing To Let Arnold Ebiketie Go

Rarely do hypothetical trades make considerable, genuine sense for both parties; well beyond the “conceivability” barrier.

But in this case, the Falcons could legitimately look to move off the 2022 second round pick after drafting two edge rushers, Jalon Walker and James Pearce, in the first round of April’s draft earlier this year.

The team will likely want to give both players opportunities to play early on; and with veteran Leonard Floyd, who was just signed this offseason after being cut by the 49ers, and has no less than 8.5 sacks in any of his last five seasons (with three different teams), the Falcons have an experienced, reliable third option to help the rookies’ development in year one.

The Cowboys Would Be Wise To Add Some Proven Strength To The Position Group

Dallas is currently set to start 31-year old former third overall pick, Dante Fowler Jr., who has had a very up-and-down decade in the NFL, having posted two seasons of double digit sacks along with six years with less than five, and second year pro, Marshawn Kneeland.

Defensive coordinator, Matt Eberflus, will be hoping the team sees the better side of Fowler; something similar to the 10.5 sack player who reared his head with the Commanders in 2024; whilst Kneeland has had a strong camp starting in lieu of the absent – and now departed – Parsons.

But there are honest questions as to whether either can really be trusted to lead a pass rush; and whilst both of the Cowboys backup options, Sam Williams and rookie, Donovan Ezeiraku, have considerable ability, neither has demonstrably shown themselves in the pros as a bona fide starter at this point in time.

Ebiketie is hardly a top-of-the-range, elite, game-changing end that Parsons is. And at the same time, he won’t command an excessively large set of draft picks as trade compensation.

But he does have six sacks and experience being the starter for a reasonably decent team in the Falcons, over the past two seasons.

If Kneeland and Ezeiraku explode, and Sam Williams finally turns his talent into production and starts to look like the first-round caliber player many thought he could be coming out of college in 2022, a trade for the Falcon won’t be necessary.

Sadly, however, things don’t always work out as we’d like, and getting pass-rushing insurance and a stable, consistent player like Ebiketie would likely be a prudent move by the Cowboys brass.

Daniel Arwas Daniel Arwas is a sports writer who covers the NFL for Heavy.com. Daniel began his career in sports writing in 2022 and has covered the NFL and college football for Gridiron Heroics and The Hammer. More about Daniel Arwas