Micah Parsons trade impact on Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer - ESPN

FRISCO, Texas — Brian Schottenheimer's first year as the Dallas Cowboys head coach was already going to be a difficult one. That's the nature of any job for a first-timer.

It was made more difficult Thursday when the Cowboys traded their Pro Bowl edge rusher, Micah Parsons, to the Green Bay Packers for two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark.

But there might be good news for Schottenheimer with the trade.

Expectations entering the season, which starts Thursday against the Philadelphia Eagles (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC), are low. ESPN's Football Power Index gives the Cowboys a 28.2% chance of making the playoffs, 11.5% to win the NFC East and 1.1% to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

If the Cowboys overachieve, at least by outside expectations, then Schottenheimer will be in a good situation. If the Cowboys falter, Schottenheimer won't take all of the blame because he was without a four-time Pro Bowler who recorded at least 12 sacks in each of his four seasons and was a three-time finalist for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

When the Cowboys were in Oxnard, California, for training camp and the saga between Parsons and the Cowboys front office — executive vice president Stephen Jones, owner and general manager Jerry Jones and vice president of player personnel Will McClay — dragged on, Schottenheimer was asked if he felt like he was caught in the middle.

«No, because I'm in communication with everybody. I mean I'm talking to the players all the time. I'm talking to ownership all the time. Stephen and Jerry and I talk all the time, Will McClay,» he said. «You know, again, the business side is the business side.

»We're not the only team in the league that's going through this. It's what happens in big business and with