The Dallas Cowboys just lived through the kind of seismic roster moment that forces a franchise to reimagine itself: Micah Parsons is gone, now a member of the Green Bay Packers after a bitter contract standoff and blockbuster trade.
Dallas can patch in 2025, but 2026 needs a real plan. One name that fits what Matt Eberflus wants on defense is Broncos edge rusher Nik Bonitto, who has blossomed from rotational piece to bona fide problem for offensive coordinators.
Cowboys Wire’s Reid D. Hanson thinks Bonitto would be an excellent way for the Cowboys to “replace Micah Parsons.
“The Denver Broncos star pass rusher is likely the prize of the free agent class,” Hanson wrote on September 1. “The 6-foot-3, 240-pound edge rusher is coming off a 13.5 sack season and just entering the prime of his career. The Broncos will want to extend him as quickly as possible but if they can’t, and if Dallas wants to pay top dollar to fill Parsons’s position, Bonitto is tough to beat.
A Look at the NFL Career of Bonitto
Drafted 64th overall by Denver in 2022, Bonitto logged limited snaps as a rookie and finished with 1.5 sacks. The tools were obvious, but he was still raw.
Year 2 is when the light really came on. Elevated into a larger role, Bonitto posted 8.0 sacks in 15 games in 2023, tacking on a forced fumble and a pair of pass breakups as he started winning earlier in the down and closing more consistently.
His true breakout came last season, when he had 13.5 sacks, plus a prime-time pick-six that put his range and instincts on full display. He earned AP second-team All-Pro honors and his first Pro Bowl nod in 2024. Together with Donovan Ezeiruaku, the two would give Dallas a formidable duo on the edges.
Bonitto and Ezeiruaku would give the Cowboys a pair of undersized edge players so additional roster moves and scheme changes may be needed to support such a situation. But with a pass rushing duo like that, most teams would welcome such a headache,” Hanson added.
Why the Dallas Cowboys Should Consider Signing Nik Bonitto in 2026
Eberflus has been clear: he wants his defense to take the ball away. That means having edges who can win, retrace screens and get hands on footballs—traits Bonitto absolutely has.
There’s also availability and cost. As a 2022 second-rounder, Bonitto’s rookie contract ends after the 2025 season; there’s no fifth-year option. Unless Denver finalizes an extension, he’ll hit unrestricted free agency in March of 2026.
League and market projections have floated a second-contract range in the low-to-mid-$20 millions per year—premium money, yes, but still shy of the rarefied tier Parsons has reached. For Dallas, that’s the difference between impossible and workable, especially if the cap strategy emphasizes outside-in pressure over a single record-setting star.
Moving on from Parsons didn’t just create a void; it reshaped the team’s long-term plan on defense. The front office has already made moves to free cash and stay flexible, and 2026 lines up as a logical strike window for an in-his-prime edge who wins with speed and finish rather than bulk. Bonitto could certainly be that guy.
Cowboys Could ‘Replace Micah Parsons’ With 13.5-Sack Edge Entering His Prime