Photo Credit: The Dallas Cowboys Football Club
FRISCO, Texas – Throughout Micah Parsons’ sensational rookie campaign donning the Star, many postseason accolades have become synonymous with the young phenom, including defensive player of the year (DPOY). As a first-year player, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has built pressure packages around his unique skillset. Parsons’ rare closing speed, instincts and backfield vision have spearheaded the defensive effort.
Despite his ability to wreak havoc on offensive game plans, the same thing that differentiates him from other elite players will hinder his chances of winning the prestigious DPOY honor: versatility.
The Penn State Product does it all. On any given play, Parsons can line up anywhere, making him a nightmare for offensive coordinators around the league. He rushes the passer from over the center, as a standup defensive end, and as an off-ball linebacker. He possesses the open-field athleticism to matchup against running backs and tight ends covering the flats. In addition, his burst through gaps has bottled up rushers at the line of scrimmage and harassed quarterbacks in the pocket. The former Nittany Lion has become a cornerstone defender in his first year in the league, a challenging feat but one that has provided a sense of nostalgia.
“I take complete pride in being the most versatile player in the NFL,” Parsons described to D210SPORTS. “When I came in here, Coach Rob Davis said, ‘the best ability is availability.’ I took that and a lot of ownership because I feel like if I want to be on the field, I’ve got to be able to do anything asked of me or more. I just like lining up everywhere and just being dynamic. It’s almost like at recess for me. I feel like I’m a kid again like let me go tackle my buddy, let me go cover my buddy and I’m going to go tackle. It’s a whole bunch of fun for me. I just really enjoy it.”
If Parsons primarily lined up at one stationary position at either defensive end or as a full-time linebacker, he would accumulate more stats for the respective roles: sacks as a defensive end and tackles as a linebacker. But because of his prowess as both a pass rusher and sideline range in coverage, his skills are needed at multiple levels of the defense – sacrificing the stat line. In the era of pro football where many equate stats to talent/production, Parsons probably will not receive DPOY recognition with lower sack/tackle numbers. However, he does deserve the distinguished award based on impact. It is easier to excel at one job on the field, but the capability of doing multiple at such a high-level embodies the purest form of the word, “playmaker.”
Translation: his athleticism cannot be measured by a stat column. For instance, Parsons made a goal-line stop on third down against the Cardinals. He anticipated the angle route inside the red zone by Chase Edmonds. He broke out and Parsons played inside, using his speed to fly like a man possessed to prevent the touchdown. The play came down to his film study and understanding of the leverage. Or against the Giants in Week 15, he exchanged his primary responsibility. Parsons saw Kenny Golladay running wide-open downfield and he dropped back in coverage to batt the pass. His awareness and instant reaction on the outside prevented the New York score.
“You know, and I think I just do a lot of different things on the defense that changes the game,” Parsons stated to local reporters. “I never just like play one position. I feel like if I could just rush, I might be an 18- to 20-sack guy, too. If I just stayed in pass coverage and run, I’d be a 100-tackle guy, too, you know. Because of my abilities, I’ve got to own certain, certain things throughout the game, I’ve got to own a role throughout the game so I can put my team in the best position to win. Sometimes it’s sacrificing those extra sacks or things like that. I think when it comes to terms like that, of just impacting the game, I would definitely put myself up there with those guys of being a defensive player” [of the year] candidate.
Pittsburgh Steelers household name T.J. Watt (+150) is the slight favorite over Parsons (+200) according to FanDuel Sportsbook in Week 18. Reigning defensive player of the year, Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald (+500) comes in third with another productive season in the trenches. T.J. Watt seemingly settled the controversy on Monday night against Cleveland with four more sacks and two pass deflections. The production pushed him further ahead atop the hierarchy with 21.5 sacks on the season. Parsons is the assured favorite to win defensive rookie of the year honors.
Parsons currently holds an 88.7 PFF grade (1st among all LBs) and a 93.0 pass-rushing grade (best in the NFL). Conversely, Watt is No. 10 among edge defenders in PFF’s rankings and No. 5 in pass-rush rankings. Parsons’ stat lines are preposterous for a rookie and hold their own weight: he has compiled a team high in sacks (13), tackles for loss (12) and pressures (42). He threw in three forced fumbles and three pass deflections for good measure.
“It is rare when a guy has pass rushing from the line of scrimmage and the run and hit factor of a linebacker,” Dan Quinn elaborated to D210SPORTS. “So, that’s what makes his game unique … You see it on offense quite a bit when a guy has unique stuff, how you split the running back out that has unique stuff as a receiver and how do you put the tight end wide when he’s got real pass patching abilities. I think in coaching, that’s kind of our role when you evaluate and bring someone on to the team you say, what would he do on our team? Micah having the chance to watch him, evaluate him through his time at Penn State and getting him here, you want to find unique stuff he has and find ways to feature him doing some of those unique things. So, no different than any player but he does have a unique combination of the size and speed and I think it’s that initial quickness and closing speed that always jumps out to me.”
Perhaps the most noteworthy of all when evaluating the season Parsons has had – he is only four years removed from high school. Yes, you read that correctly. High school. At Penn State, Parsons opted out of the 2020 season and only had one season as a full-time starter (2019). As a defensive end in high school, he changed positions upon arriving at Penn State and primarily lined up as a weakside linebacker in Brent Pry’s 4-3 base scheme. After sitting out a year, adjusting to the speed of the NFL, and learning pass rush stunts and blitz packages weekly at both LB and D-End, what Parsons has accomplished is unprecedented. History is being written. His energetic spirit and unadulterated love of the game has transformed the Cowboys’ defense under Quinn’s leadership
On Feb. 10 during the NFL Honors ceremony, Parsons likely will not hear his name called for DPOY given his multi-faceted resume on the gridiron week-after-week, but what he has done over the last year deserves esteemed praise. The fact that he has been compared to Lawrence Taylor – a Hall of Famer and arguably the greatest defensive player to have ever played in the league – encapsulates the impact player No. 11 is. The scary part? He has only scratched the surface. As Parsons routinely says, “the lion is always hungry!”
