FRISCO, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys three-time All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons is out to prove he is the best pass rusher in football, for both competitive and contractual reasons in 2024.
There's no better place to begin that quest than at the Cleveland Browns in Week 1 on Sunday with 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year edge rusher Myles Garrett on the opposing sideline.
"I always love competition," Parsons said on Wednesday. "I felt that even when we played the Rams and [Aaron] Donald. If Donald had two sacks, I need two sacks just because it's the competitive spirit. We kind of both know where we are. Garrett's one of my favorite rushers. Him and Maxx Crosby are kind like my two guys that are just so freaky and gifted. But man, it's going to be exciting to play against him. This is my first time in Cleveland. Well besides the draft, but just to be playing down there, to see the environment is going to be exciting."
Both Parsons and Garrett racked up exactly 14.0 sacks in 2023, tied for the seventh-most in the NFL, but Parsons had the edge over the Browns superstar despite Garrett ending up with the hardware at the end of the season. Parsons led the entire NFL in quarterback pressures (103), quarterback pressure rate (21.8%) and pass rush win rate (35.3%) -- when a defender beats his block in less than 2.5 seconds. Factoring in that Parsons was double-teamed on 35% of his pass rush plays in 2023, the most in the league among edge players, per the NFL's Next Gen Stats, it's remarkable the award didn't go to the Cowboys' All-Pro. There wasn't another edge rusher in the NFL who was double-teamed at a rate of 30% or higher last season with Garrett registering the third-highest double-team rate in the league (28.8%).
Micah Parsons vs. Myles Garrett 2023 season
| Parsons | Garrett* | |
|---|---|---|
Sacks | 14.0 | 14.0 |
QB Pressures | 103 | 86 |
QB Pressure Rate | 21.8% | 18.3% |
Pass Rush Win Rate | 35.3% | 30% |
| Double Team Rate | 35% | 28.8% |
Forced Fumbles | 1 | 4 |
* 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year
Circumstances led to Garrett overcoming having less production than Parsons to win last season's DPOY. The Browns 2023 defense led the league in total defense (270.2 total yards per game allowed) as Cleveland overcame losing quarterback Deshaun Watson (shoulder) and running back Nick Chubb (knee) to season-ending injuries to earn an AFC wild card spot with an 11-6 record. Dallas' 12-5 record and an NFC East division title weren't enough to sway voters in Parsons' direction. That doesn't dissuade the Cowboys superstar from admiring and being friends with Garrett despite competing for the same recognition. Garrett provided him restaurant recommendations when Parsons was abroad in Japan with Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud this offseason to promote the game of football internationally.
"Man, one thing I always love about a rusher is 'how do you rush even when your rushes aren't good or you feel like you're off your game?'" Parsons said. "He's one of the more relentless. Myles, just relentless man. They don't care where they at. Myles is like me, man. He has such a great acceleration and his power, strength, which makes him exceptional. It's like ridiculous, and I just think, man, outside of just a great football player he's a great person. ... Even when I went to Tokyo, he sent me, just randomly, I get a text from Myles, 'Go to these restaurants.' They were some real good restaurants too. Myles Garrett the person is kind of like what sets him apart from everyone else."
Parsons now looks to set himself apart from Garrett, Crosby and the rest of his Pro Bowl pass-rushing peers, and between his historic production in his first three seasons and his versatility, he may be able to just that in 2024. He is one of only five players to rack up at least 40 sacks (40.5) in his first three NFL seasons, and with just 9.5 in 2024, he would become the sixth player since individual sacks became an officially tracked metric in 1982 to have at least 50 sacks in his first four seasons. The club he will likely join -- Parsons' career-low in sacks was 13.0 as a rookie in 2021 -- is comprised exclusively of Pro Football Hall of Famers: Reggie White (70.0), Derrick Thomas (58.0), JJ Watt (57.0, set to be a first-ballot HOFer), DeMarcus Ware (53.5) and Dwight Freeney (51.0).
"The killer is sloppy, he's probably going to get caught," Parsons said. "You know he's not very good at what he does, but he's a killer. He's raw on the streets, call it like that. You got the hitman, the hitman might not get caught but you know, who did it. He's probably a little bit more clean. Assassin, you don't even know he's there, you don't even know he done it. You know what I'm saying? So each time you really want to develop, and I think that this fourth year mark for me, I think I'm ready to be an assassin."
Variety is the spice of life
New defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer plans to set Parsons apart by moving him around the defensive formation at will after he became predominantly a defensive lineman the last two seasons under Dan Quinn, the team's DC from 2021-20223 before being hired to be the Washington Commanders head coach this offseason. As a rookie, Parsons lined up much more regularly as a linebacker while also mixing in as a defensive lineman, a style of play that led to him taking home 2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
Micah Parsons' career defensive snap alignment
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|
Defensive Line | 41.3% | 81.1% | 87.2% |
Linebacker | 55.2% | 18.1% | 12.7% |
Defensive Back | 3.5% | 0.8% | 0.1% |
*Data according to Pro Football Focus
He now plans to align himself as an defensive end, outside linebacker, a defensive tackle opposite the center, a defensive tackle in between the guard and the tackle, inside linebacker and safety. Basically almost every position one could play on the defensive side of the ball thanks to Zimmer's scheme full of disguises and varied pressure looks.
"I think on game day, I know y'all look at the PFF stuff but y'all going to see I'm going to move around a lot," Parsons said. I got my own personnel [package] and stuff. It's going to be exciting, I'm going to say that. I'm probably play every single person. This is the first year where I can be in the two aisle, three, the four, it don't matter. I can be a linebacker, I can be in the slot. I can almost be a safety, if you look at it that way."
However for Parsons to make the most of Zimmer's creativity when opposing offenses are in likely passing situations, Dallas needs to take care of business on early downs and in the run game.
"He got the package [s]," Parsons said. "At the same time, it's all about calling a good game. If we're giving up a lot on first down, it will be hard to get into those packages. If they're winning in the marks of the field sticks all that stuff matters. If we do what we do [force opponents into third and medium and third and long], I can play a lot of different positions."
Zimmer's and Parsons' relationship has come a long way since the early portion of the offseason program. The two had said "a total of 20 words" together in the spring with Parsons skipping everything prior to training camp except for mandatory minicamp The two had regular breakfast meetings out in Oxnard, California at training camp, and Parsons said he was off to lunch with Zimmer after his Wednesday afternoon media session. Safe to say the two are now on the same page.
"I think we align," Parsons said. "I think I just had to show Mike what I'm capable of and what I can do. Everything that he thought I would be, I probably have achieved that and more. He came up to me and said, 'You say you want to do this and you want to do that, if you just do this detailed stuff you can be the best ever.' I think he just opened up to my idea of how I see things. ... There's certain things that I think it's just part of life that you evolve and grow and being with him, I grew as a player. Definitely on the mental side. And he grew into his players and he adjusted to me, so I think we have evolved in a good way.... It just goes to show our relationship and how we're getting closer and the faith he has in me and into the system."
Between Zimmer's 29 seasons of NFL coaching experience, 23 as either a defensive coordinator or head coach, and Parsons' gifts and work ethic, there isn't a number of sacks that are desired. It's dominating the rest of the league to the point of unquestioned respect.
"Man, I would say, it wouldn't be really about the number [of sacks to earn what he is seeking]," Parsons said. "It would be like, 'damn, this dude is really the best in the world.' So its not really not the numbers, it's letting the world know this dude is really the best."
