Cowboys: The greatness of Micah Parsons has no limits
Micah Parsons is probably the most dangerous defensive weapon in the NFL, and the Cowboys get to use it on their opponents every Sunday. It was no secret that Parsons had the talent to be an extremely effective sideline-to-sideline linebacker from what he did at Penn State. However, Cowboys' defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has opened […]
Micah Parsons is probably the most dangerous defensive weapon in the NFL, and the Cowboys get to use it on their opponents every Sunday.
It was no secret that Parsons had the talent to be an extremely effective sideline-to-sideline linebacker from what he did at Penn State. However, Cowboys' defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has opened an entirely new can of worms when it comes to Parsons and his skill set as an edge rusher.
Over his first two seasons, Parsons has racked up 26.5 sacks, 100 hurries, and 157 pressures. Speaking of the latter, Parsons led the league last season in that category on true pass sets.
Pressures on true pass sets: 72
If you haven’t figured it out yet, Parsons is a unicorn when it comes to rushing the passer. He strikes fear into offenses around the league, and on a true pass set it is almost impossible to contain him. Not only did he lead all qualified edge defenders in total pressures on true pass sets, but he also led with a whopping 50 hurries on the quarterback — 12 more than the next closest defender. Dallas moved him to a full-time edge role, and it has paid dividends.
Parsons finished with a 92.2 pass-rush grade on true pass sets, which trailed only Myles Garrett. His 25.6% win rate was also top five among qualified edge defenders. From Week 11 through Week 18, Parsons stopped playing off-ball linebacker, tallying only 20 snaps away from the defensive line. Over that span, he led all edge defenders with a 91.1 pass-rush grade. –Braxton Howard, PFF
Parsons wasn't even a full-time edge rusher in 2022 but he still managed to lead the NFL with a 29.7% pass-rush win rate. Also, since his rookie campaign, Parsons has pressured quarterbacks on 18.3% of his pass rushes which ranks first for all edge rushers with 500 or more attempts according to Next Gen Stats.
There's no telling how good Parsons' numbers would be rushing the passer if he did nothing but play on the edge. However, the fact that he's as good as he is and continues to get better bodes well for how effective he'll be as his snaps from that area keep increasing over time.
Recent comment from ESPN analyst will make Cowboys fans happy
He has good reason to think this way.
Feature image via Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
