Smart NFL teams do everything within their power to help new head coaches ease into their responsibilities. Evidently, the Dallas Cowboys prefer to throw their new hires right into their biggest messes. That's the only reasonable explanation for the franchise's decision to charge Brian Schottenheimer with repairing their relationship with Micah Parsons.
The star edge rusher made some ugly headlines during the team's preseason game against the Falcons on Friday night. He was the only member of the team's roster who did not don a Cowboys jersey. The obvious intent was to send a message to the world that he's not ready to rejoin the team unless he gets the lucrative contract he believes he deserves.
Inside the Cowboys' Micah Parsons dilemma
Parsons did undergo an MRI on his back late in the week, but per reporting from ESPN, team owner Jerry Jones dismissed the test as a likely negotiating ploy from the player and his camp. In theory, he needed a reason to skip the last preseason game to make sure he didn't suffer an injury that might have complicated his search for a new contract.
Jones is the person who should be leading the franchise's efforts to reach a new accord with their best defensive player. Instead, it looks as if Jones and the higher-ups are piling that responsibility onto Schottenheimer. The first-year head coach told reporters that he intended to talk to Parsons about his behavior during the preseason game and follow it up by handling the issue internally.
Brian Schottenheimer is between a rock and hard place
Entrusting Schottenheimer to smooth things over with Parsons could be a disastrous move by the Cowboys. He's a relatively inexperienced coach who lacks a long-term relationshp with the prolific edge rusher. Schottenheimer also lacks the ability to give Parsons what he wants. He has no front office pull to meet the player's contract demands.
That power lies firmly in the hands of Jones. That's why he should be the person dealing with Parsons directly. At the very least, he should only be delegating duties to other members of his front office staff. Schottenheimer's focus should be limited to on-field matters as the regular season grows near.
In the end, the odds still favor the Cowboys and Parsons finding some sort of deal that both parties can live with before Dallas even considers trading one of the best defensive players in football. It's still possible that Jones' decision to avoid entering into good faith negotiations with Parsons could push him out of town. Cowboys fans should hope that Schottenheimer's talk with Parsons doesn't push the Pro Bowler out the door.