Cowboys Eye DEs For Training Camp As Parsons Deal Looms

The Dallas Cowboys have worked out defensive ends James Houston, Jesse Luketa, and Kameron Cline in an attempt to bolster the defensive line as the franchise prepares for training camp this week.

These workouts come as the franchise continues to negotiate a contract with defensive end Micah Parsons, with no expectations that a deal will come in the near future. 

Parsons, regarded as one of the league’s top defensive linemen, has not reached an agreement with Dallas as he enters the final year of his rookie contract, making his participation in training camp a question.

Of the three players the Cowboys brought in for workouts, Houston brings the most notable production, highlighted by his eight-sack, seven-game rookie campaign with Detroit in 2022.

Following that breakout, his career trajectory was disrupted by a significant leg injury, which limited him to just two games in 2023 before he spent time with both the Lions and Browns in 2024.

Last season, Houston managed to collect just one sack and eight total tackles across eight appearances.

Meanwhile, Luketa was a seventh-round pick for the Arizona Cardinals in 2022 and previously played alongside Parsons at Penn State, tallying three sacks, 35 tackles, and a forced fumble over 31 career games for the Cardinals.

Cline was an undrafted free agent in 2024 and spent last season on the Buffalo Bills’ and New York Jets’ practice squads, making one game appearance for Buffalo last year after spending time with the Indianapolis Colts from 2020-2022.

Although none of these players is likely to make a major impact for the Cowboys this season, any of the three could be invited to the team’s training camp with the potential to make the regular season roster.

Dallas has been working to negotiate an extension with Parsons throughout the offseason, with seemingly little progress made in recent months.

Parsons recently opened up about these negotiations, saying he is trying to focus solely on himself. He explained that he will “just work harder” to prove his worth.

“Like, to me, I look at it like if people don’t see your value, you don’t cry and sit down. You just work harder. You got to show people your value. I just think that’s the difference, like I go, okay, bet, and I just work,” he said, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.

Parsons added that he is not concerned about the contracts being given to other top defensive ends in the league because each situation is completely different.

However, Dallas would be wise to sign Parsons quickly before more defensive ends, such as Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals, sign more deals and potentially increase his asking price.

Recently, TJ Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to a three-year, $123 million contract extension, with the expectation that Parsons’ contract will slightly exceed this overall figure.

While some may have concerns about the lack of progress being made on this deal, a lack of movement in negotiations has become quite common for the Cowboys.

Last season, Dallas waited until the last minute to sign both wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott to contract extensions, with negotiations for both players extending into training camp.

The Cowboys eventually agreed to pay both players before the start of the regular season, though each extension was more expensive than it would have been if Dallas had acted sooner.

The good news for Dallas is that Parsons is expected to be in attendance during training camp, as negotiations continue. However, it is unclear how much of the camp he will participate in to avoid risking an injury, according to NFL Insider Jordan Schultz.

Realistically, Dallas will follow a similar path with Parsons and sign him to an extension at some point during training camp that will make him one of the top-paid players in the entire NFL.