The Dallas Cowboys have a problem that could cost them more than first meets the eye.

Leighton Vander Esch is expected to be placed on Injured Reserve with a neck injury, leaving the roster with only one true off-ball linebacker in Damone Clark. Beyond the second-year player out of LSU, the Cowboys count on Markquese Bell (a safety playing linebacker), and technically… Micah Parsons. 

The defensive star who has been an edge rusher for over a year now could end up being forced to play the position he was intended to play when he first got to the NFL out of Penn State. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is well aware that it represents a huge challenge for him as a coach. 

"I would say like for a team like (the 49ers) there might have been a toss play out to the defensive left and you see some of (Micah's) speed go you know basically matching the speed of the running back to the edge so that's one of the things that you feel from him," Quinn told reporters on Monday.  

Despite Parsons having zero snaps in coverage this year, Quinn also appears very confident in his ability versus the pass. 

"He's got the ability in coverage to really break in some zones because of the quickness that he can go from you know zero to 60 really fast," Quinn added. "And then from off the ball as a blitzer, are you going to count him as a linebacker or count him as a D-lineman? And where do you match up on that? So those are some of the advantages that you get."

Listen, Parsons wears No. 11 and is listed as a linebacker. He was a linebacker and Penn State and the Cowboys' plan when they drafted him was probably to play him as such and sprinkle some pass rushing snaps here and there. I get it. But the reality is Parsons has not been a linebacker all year long. He's been an edge rusher going back to 2022. 

The Cowboys put themselves in a tough situation by neglecting to add linebacker depth in the offseason. If they do move Parsons to linebacker, not only are they missing Vander Esch, their top LB, and communicator on defense, but they're losing their very best player: Parsons the pass rusher.

In other words, it's an injury with double the cost. Quinn understands this very well. 

"The disadvantages on some of the passes that you're obviously dropping him, where you got some chances to rush, you don't get it," Quinn concluded. "So that's kind of the balance that I'll have to face and work through."

How Quinn approaches this challenge will be critical for the Cowboys' defensive success moving forward. On Monday, Mike McCarthy admitted his team is a defensive operation, something that's not news for his regime. But it'll also come down to the front office and whether or not they add outside help to the position. 

It'll be the Joneses who dictate whether Quinn has Bell and Parsons to work with and them alone or somebody else they acquire via free agency or the trade market. 

Cowboys: CeeDee Lamb’s postgame message is indicative of a major problem

Drama is brewing in Dallas.