Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons rushes the passer during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on December 18, 2022, at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida | Image by D’Avril Grant/Shutterstock

The Dallas Cowboys defense has not busted the budget, as team owner Jerry Jones proclaimed they would before the start of NFL free agency.

But they have signed several players, made one trade, and, more importantly, allowed first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker to build a defense in his image.

Safety Jalen Thompson received the biggest deal: $36 million over three years, averaging $11 million per year. It was the largest free-agent deal the Cowboys have handed out since Brandon Carr signed a five-year, $50 million contract in 2012.

Then again, if we’re honest, this was one year when there wasn’t a player worthy of a mega-deal in free agency. Like the Cowboys, the best teams lock up their best players before they ever reach free agency.

The Cowboys had one of the NFL’s worst defenses last year, ranking 32nd in scoring defense (30.0), 30th in yards allowed (377.0), and 30th in turnovers (12).

The question is whether the moves Dallas has made thus far have improved its defense.

Absolutely.

How much better, however, is another question. Progress, whether you’re lifting weights, losing weight, or improving your golf game, comes incrementally.

As long as the players acquired are better – even if the margin is slight – then the defense has improved. As bad as they were, and as productive as the offense is expected to be, any improvement should translate into more victories.

This defense couldn’t rush the passer or create turnovers. They’ve used free agency to help in those areas.

Thompson is a versatile safety who will start and contribute. Safety P.J. Locke and cornerback Cobie Durant will have important roles in the Cowboys’ nickel defense. Defensive tackle Otito Ogbonnia will help plug the middle and should be a sturdy run defender.

They acquired Green Bay edge rusher Rashan Gary and persuaded him to take a pay cut. He’s had between 7.5 and 9.5 sacks in four of the past five seasons.

He helps.

Splashy moves aren’t always the best moves. Maxx Crosby would be a great addition as a pass rusher and high-energy player, but if he costs two first-round picks, he’s not worth it.

Micah Parsons, one of the league’s premier pass rushers, couldn’t elevate the Cowboys to playoff success. Neither would Crosby.

Now that Dallas has filled some of its holes, it can enter the draft with No. 12 and No. 20 in the first round, plus a third-round pick (92 overall) acquired in a trade with San Francisco for defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, and continue to fortify the defense.

Some folks have cried as though Odighizuwa were anintegral part of long-term defensive improvement.

Stop the drama.

He was a good player, and an even better person. But he ain’t the difference between advancing to the NFC Championship Game or not.

You should be happy that Jerry and Stephen Jones have given Parker the authority to move on from Odighizuwa. That means he’s truly running the defense.

That means he has a vision for the Cowboys’ defense, and he’s adding players who fit it and discarding those who don’t.

This is how normal teams work. We’re just not used to it, so it seems strange.

It’s not.

The defense, on paper, is improved. Much work remains, but at least the Cowboys are operating like a credible NFL franchise this offseason.

It has been a while. Enjoy it.