Sturm: On Micah, Diggs, and Setting the Roster

[dpf1123]

On Micah, Diggs, and Setting the Roster
We are down to just 10 days until Week 1 hits in Philadelphia. Let's get on things.
Bob Sturm
Aug 25, 2025



It is go time. Hopefully, the documentaries have been watched and the memories have been shared.

I gave you a few pieces from the good ol’ days last week to enjoy, but now we better get down to business on the Cowboys and the present tense. For better or for worse, the cutdown day will arrive tomorrow and then “game week” will commence for the most difficult game of the season, the Thursday night opener in Philadelphia.
There are a number of things to visit here, but below I will get to the roster construction and the look ahead.

But, of course, because we know other way around here, we have to discuss the giant issue that has not gone away and sits right in the middle of everything.
Despite my best projections, the Micah Parsons vs. Jerry Jones match of who is more annoyed has raged on well past the normal barriers.

Let’s start there this morning:

The Parsons Situation Has Been a Mess – Even By Cowboys Standards

I have not written about this every week, because what is the point?

There has been nothing new to say for a long time, other than both sides vocalizing frustrating with the other side. We all saw this coming a mile away as the Cowboys started talking about the franchise tag stuff a while back. This gives them (and some fans) the false impression that they have tons of leverage in this scenario, because it looks like they do on the surface.

Jerry tells everyone who will listen that “we have him under contract for three more years” which implies that there is a universe where Micah Parsons meekly obeys his bosses and respectfully apologizes, reports, and plays his heart out for the company.

He then lets them control his fate until the end of the 2027, when he may politely achieve unrestricted free agency after playing another 51 games for Mr. Jones under the terms set by the Cowboys.

That just isn’t the NFL we live in and I assume both parties know it. I don’t expect fans to know this – due to life, jobs, and the complications of this league – but, the people involved on both sides definitely know the realities of taking one of the very best players in this league and telling him to comply to their wishes without just a whole lot of reasonable understanding that this is not the military or even the Junction Boys where the bosses are the bosses and that settles it.

The reality and why I have thought that Micah Parsons has way more leverage than most fans is built on the following:

• Parsons is one of the most valuable non-QBs in the NFL and perhaps in terms of assets, he is The Most valuable non QB in the NFL. You might argue that Justin Jefferson would like to be in this conversation, but Parsons is on a very short list.
• He is also the youngest edge rusher on this level by a mile. This matters when people suggest that there is no way he will sit out a while until he is satisfied. If you want to wait out TJ Watt as he hits his 31st birthday in October, you have a chance. But, Micah Parsons is nearly five years younger than him. Everyone in this negotiation knows that if he hit unrestricted free agency next March at age 26, the numbers offered from around the league to sign him would be insane. The free agent feeding frenzy that is only blocked by the Cowboys franchise tag power would stop the football universe in its tracks.
• The Cowboys have tried to tell us that the other side of this negotiation has acted unreasonably, yet also admit that they have not placed a single phone call to Micah’s representation. I think the inability to reconcile the contradiction inside that previous sentence is all you need to put most neutrals on the side of the player. That is absolutely where I find myself, that is for sure. Cowboy fans are wrapped in emotions from decades of all of this nonsense, but the details of negotiating in good faith are not easy to see here from the Jones Boys. If you cannot even produce one phone call to the other side, you can spare me with all the other rhetoric.

So, yes, the Cowboys can try to wait out Micah Parsons for a time. But, we saw how that worked out with Emmitt Smith on Netflix. We saw that the players quickly took Emmitt’s side, partly because they needed him on the field. They also saw that the organization has chosen to allow this to bleed all over the training camp and appears ready to distract the entire season with this nonsense as well. I showed you a few weeks ago how the Eagles laugh at this procedural own-goals that the Jones Boys insist upon. This player does not lack resolve and I submit to you that he is aware that he won’t lose this in the long run.

The Cowboys have botched this by waiting him out. They needed a compliant player who would fold, but this guy is ready to stay in this hand until the very end. They want him to play on their terms as they threaten the tag. To everyone who is telling Micah to report and play nice, when they threaten the tag, they are not negotiating in good faith. They are telling him to get in line or else. In other words, they think they have all the leverage, but, again, anyone who pays attention to this league knows that this is false.

Why is it false? I would just need someone to give me one example of a team trying to force a player of this caliber to comply to their wishes. Small business owner wants the team to show the player who is boss. But, in professional sports, the only thing you can do is insure that chaos ensues and that ultimately you lose the player at a massive discount and the only thing you have destroyed is any chance for your season to be a positive experience.

It is difficult to ever find a top player in this league where the team has decided to try to “make an example out of him” by thinking they can wait him out for three years. That is where this just gets ridiculous and the “or else” tone is just unserious. Sure, you can bully a kid like Shemar Stewart for a time, but the best players in the league that have gained the respect of all 32 organizations? No chance.

Nick Bosa, T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett, and Maxx Crosby. Every one of them has been given a massive deal and while there was some difficulty in finding the number, in each case, the team decided they wanted to retain the player and find a solution. Other times, Khalil Mack, for instance, there was a trade made after the team wanted out. Both of those are reasonable paths. But, the idea that you aren’t even willing to make a phone call to his representatives – after he has asked you to for at least a month – says there is no good faith here.

Heck, Jerry thought it was clever to act like he doesn’t even know the name David Mulugheta, despite all of us knowing it.

Again, I take Micah’s side in this because it is the correct side from the information that is publicly available. Whether Jerry thought he had a deal is highly immaterial if it is not signed and he knows this. If he wants to trade Micah, he should. Nobody disputes that. I think Micah Parsons should be on this team, but I also admit that if you can convince someone to offer you a few first rounders, there is wisdom in trying a different path than paying him $200 million.

Let me wrap this up by saying this. Watching the documentary should tell us what we are dealing with here. The ego knows no bounds and therefore we should not assume that watching his conduct with Emmitt would in any way inspire him to choose a different road. Jones believes that everything he has done has led to his success and that no player is going to try to out-stubborn him. I think Micah’s contract situation improves if he misses Week 1, but I also think he desperately wants to be on that field.

I don’t know what Jerry is even fighting for at this point (and am not sure he does, either). He knows the going rate and he knows a morning of phone calls can resolve it. He just wants to win and he is blinded by the anger of someone in their mid-20’s trying to battle him. There is no sensible reason that this drags on, so I advise all involved to not even try. This is hubris running its course. Maybe Charles Haley just needs to whistle his helmet into some drywall to get this resolved, like last time.

Trevon Diggs appears back and perhaps ready to play.

I didn’t know what to expect on this development and still am somewhat unclear about how close he is to being a factor in the proceedings, but Trevon Diggs might be good to go.


I think quite highly of Diggs as a defender and will absolutely upgrade the Cowboys defensive performance expectations with their corners settling in. If you have a starting group of Diggs, DaRon Bland, and Kaiir Elam, I think you are probably ready to deal with 11 personnel and when you only need two corners, Elam would likely come off and you can finally pair Diggs and Bland up for what we would hope is an entire season.

I expect Diggs to be his best version of himself this year as he knows what he has on the line in terms of contractual security. The Cowboys might choose for this to be the end of the road here in 2025, but Diggs will know that he can make that decision much more difficult if he returns to his standout status or help secure a nice spot elsewhere if the team decides to set him free anyway. Remember, he is only 26 years old, too. There is every reason to believe he has a lot of football left to play, but it was all based on his health. If his health is back, I expect big things from Diggs and you should, too.

Cutdown day is upon us on Tuesday.

Finally, I have not given you my final run through the 53 now that the third and final preseason game has been played. The Cowboys played even fewer regulars in that game, so I won’t spend any time on the details from Friday, even if a few performances did catch my eye. It just felt like almost every decision had already been made by the front office - which is quite consistent with how it has been here in Dallas for quite some time.

Also, I realize releasing this on Monday Morning is ridiculous because by the time many of you read this, you will already see that I am wrong on quite a few of them. Their 53-man is different than mine and there are always roster exemptions with injured players and such to consider. Then, there is the normal admissions that there is no such thing as a final roster. You turn in your 53, but then quickly go to work on the other teams cuts and try to sign upgrades for your own side. Then, there are players you can slide through to the practice squad or veterans you don’t want to pay for a full year.

So, I say all that to say that my 53 is simply the best team I can assemble from this group. But, their 53 is filled with a lot of considerations and information that we can only guess about. Maybe that is all a way of me trying to cover my butt, but it is what it is.

Here is my 53 man roster:
QB (2) - Prescott, Milton
RB (4) - Williams, Blue, Mafah, Luepke
WR (6) - Lamb, Pickens, Tolbert, Turpin, Brooks, Flournoy
TE (3) - Ferguson, Schoonmaker, Spann-Ford
OL (9) - Guyton, Smith, Beebe, Booker, Steele, Thomas, Bass, Hoffman, Cornelius
Edge (6) - Parsons, Kneeland, Ezeiruaku, Fowler, Williams, Houston
DT (5) - Odighizuwa, Thomas, Winfrey, Smith, Toia
LB (6) - Overshown, Liufau, Sanborn, James, Barron, Murray)
CB (5) - Bland, Diggs, Elam, Revel, Hall
S (4) - Hooker, Wilson, Bell, Thomas
ST (3) - Aubrey, Anger, Sieg

I am not sure if they will go in this direction, because there are quite a few players I think we can cut and get back on this roster or practice squad, but as of right now, I think this is the direction I am headed.

But, like I said, by the time many of you read this, you will see I have missed some names or switched a few.

The good news is that this is a massive milestone date that tells us just how close we are to the season getting underway.

In other words – we made it!

 

[Simpleton]

Sums up the Micah situation pretty well and it's just a microcosm of everything that is wrong with Jerry and how he runs this team.

Paying him or trading him are both reasonable options, sticking your head in the sand and playing tough guy for months or years is not.

The issue is the underlying assumption that Sturm is making is that the main goal is winning, which it's not, it's placating Jerry and his ego. If the main goal is not winning, who cares if this nonsense drags out all year, distracts the team, demoralizes the players and fans, so on and so forth?

All that matters is that Jerry can play tough guy in his mind palace and whip the media up into a frenzy anytime he opens his mouth.

 

[Genghis Khan]

The Cowboys have tried to tell us that the other side of this negotiation has acted unreasonably, yet also admit that they have not placed a single phone call to Micah’s representation.

I don't actually think this is true. I think Micah's camp is trying to get us to believe this.

I think it IS true that they haven't submitted an offer to his agent. That doesn't mean they haven't tried.

Jerry basically said they have an offer written up (he offered to show it to Irvin), and they wanted to submit it to his agent, but the agent told them not to bother because nothing has been negotiated yet.

As time goes on, I think it's becoming more apparent that Micah's side is in the wrong here.

I mean both kind of are, but Micah I think should get much more of the blame.

I hate Jerry and would love to pile on, but I have to call it honestly from my perspective. I think Micah's agent is playing dirty pool here, and has a voluminous history of doing exactly that. (Yes Jerry does also but the point is neither side are angels.)

All that said, Jerry should be just biting the bullet and doing whatever it takes to get the best player on the team signed and happy long term. If they want to scrap the agreement and start over, it sucks but put your fucking ego aside and do it.

But if Sturm is just echoing the narrative that the cowboys haven't even tried to make an offer, I think that's naive and doesn't seem to fit the facts as we evidently know them.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

Jerry basically said they have an offer written up (he offered to show it to Irvin), and they wanted to submit it to his agent, but the agent told them not to bother because nothing has been negotiated yet.

How do you negotiate without making an offer? Feels like this contradicts itself.

 

[Rev]

I dont like the agent and think he is just in it for as big a cut as he can get. However Jerry is hounded by all his past dealings with players and trying to circumvent the agent. When he allowed numbers to come out of his mouth to Micah that was where it went to shit. He should have just told Micah that he had some new numbers and to bring the agent. Instead he tried to do what he himself did 40 years ago and dona handshake deal. That shit dont work anymore.

As far as blame its just like the Jerry/Jimmy relationship. Both sides have a hand in it but Jerry will never deserve the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Genghis Khan]

How do you negotiate without making an offer? Feels like this contradicts itself.

It's the difference between negotiating terms and making a formal offer in writing.

I think Jerry and Micah discussed terms and what Micah would be willing to accept. They agreed and Jerry had a waiter or something write up the formal offer. They then contacted the agent to send it and were told not to bother because the agent doesn't accept any terms negotiated without him present, and they'd be starting from scratch.

Jerry had a hissy fit and it's been radio silence since. From both sides. Other than chirping in the media.

That's what I think happened.

 

[bbgun]

Jerry almost certainly hammered out a deal with Dak and Cee Dee via their agents, so why's he suddenly insisting that three's a crowd? It really does seem like he's trying to take advantage of someone who's not savvy in financial matters.

 

[Genghis Khan]

Jerry almost certainly hammered out a deal with Dak and Cee Dee via their agents, so why's he suddenly insisting that three's a crowd? It really does seem like he's trying to take advantage of someone who's not savvy in financial matters.

I think the difference is that those guys didn't agree to terms directly with him so Jerry had to connect with the agent.

Also they had different agents. It could just be that their agents were much more willing to accept things Jerry might have discussed with the player before hand.

And the reality is that those negotiations were drawn out also, but those players didn't air their grievances like Micah did.

 

[Simpleton]

It's the difference between negotiating terms and making a formal offer in writing.

I think Jerry and Micah discussed terms and what Micah would be willing to accept. They agreed and Jerry had a waiter or something write up the formal offer. They then contacted the agent to send it and were told not to bother because the agent doesn't accept any terms negotiated without him present, and they'd be starting from scratch.

Jerry had a hissy fit and it's been radio silence since. From both sides. Other than chirping in the media.

That's what I think happened.

I think this is more or less right, I don't have any sympathy for anybody involved because my only priority is winning, which isn't tied directly to any of the three parties.

It's why I'm fine extending him at a reasonable deal (i.e. slightly more than what Watt got) or trading him for a haul (i.e. similar to what the Raiders got for Mack, but a bit more).

The only option that I think brings no value and directly harms the chances of winning either now or in the future is everybody sitting around with their thumbs up their asses, which seems to be what is going to happen, primarily because Jerry is a massive dickhead who lies for a living and couldn't give a fuck less about winning unless it happens the way he wants it to.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

I'm with Geng on Jerry being an asshole but still calling things fairly as I see it.

I have all kinds of problems with Stums assertions. One, if Micah would take Maxx Crosby's deal, I guarantee this would already be done. Sturm knows that. Two, Jerry doesn't care about getting Micah to "meekly apologize." And three, to act like Jerry is so evil because he's using some franchise tag leverage on the poor little player? Please. What do you think Micah is doing holding in with a fake back injury and asking to be traded?

It's tiresome for these media people to disingenuously act like these players are poor coal mine workers from the 19th century. Micah is set to make $24 million dollars. He's represented by a cutthroat billionaire agent. Jerry has always not just paid his star players, but often overpaid them. Jerry may be in the wrong, but can we stop the white knighting for these guys? This negotiation is between sophisticated parties and is as arms length as it gets.

 

[Genghis Khan]

 

[Rev]

There you go, Micah.

Sexual Harrassment suit available to use for leverage.

 

[ravidubey]

There you go, Micah.

Sexual Harrassment suit available to use for leverage.

Who was Micah's dad?

 

[Bipo]

Who was Micah's dad?