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The Dallas Cowboys are never far from the spotlight, and outside linebacker Micah Parsons has been identified as a player worth keeping an eye on once the NFL season kicks off in September.
ESPN recently surveyed executives, coaches, and scouts to rank the top 10 players at 11 different positions. While Parsons was not named the most elite pass rusher on this year’s list, the numbers are beyond encouraging.
“The numbers say Parsons has a compelling case for No. 1,” wrote ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
“His 126 pressures and 31.0% pass-rush win rate since 2023 lead the NFL. He has done this despite facing a 31.5% double-team rate in 2024, the highest among edge rushers on this list. He generated a league-high 19.1% pressure rate last season and led the Cowboys with a 24.2% pressure share, the eighth-highest clip in the NFL. His pass rush win rate of 25.3% ranked second overall.”
Parsons was ranked third for the second straight season and finished behind Cleveland Browns defensive end and Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt.
Despite the ranking, NFL insiders maintain that Parsons boasts a unique skillset that should be feared by opposing teams. The Cowboys star is the second player in NFL history to produce 12 or more sacks in each of his first four pro seasons, and was the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year.
“He does it with countermoves and the ability to finish,” an NFC personnel evaluator said. “He rarely misses when he’s within arm’s reach of the quarterback. His run defense needs work, though.”
Dallas will enter 2025 with newly minted head coach Brian Schottenheimer at the helm. Schottenheimer previously served as the team’s offensive coordinator and will draw a great deal of attention to quarterback Dak Prescott and the rest of the unit.
As far as Parsons is concerned, the Harrisburg native will enter the campaign as one of the team’s defensive leaders. His play could be critical to helping new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus find his footing following a contentious stint as the Chicago Bears’ head coach.
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