How Mike Zimmer is creating a stealthier Micah Parsons and what it means for the Cowboys defense

How Mike Zimmer is creating a stealthier Micah Parsons and what it means for the Cowboys defense

How Mike Zimmer is creating a stealthier Micah Parsons and what it means for the Cowboys defense

Micah Parsons was chosen by the Dallas

Cowboys with the 12th overall choice in the 2021

NFL Draft. This occurred when they missed out

on one of the best cornerbacks in the draft and

traded back two positions with the Philadelphia

Eagles. Since then, Parsons has emerged as the

draft’s finest player thus far, making him the

consolation prize that surpasses all other

awards. Compared to other players in his draft

class, his Pro Football Reference Approximate

Value is significantly greater.

This pick was initially criticized as many thought

it was a misuse of resources to take an off-ball

linebacker so high. While Parsons was primarily

an off-ball linebacker at Penn State, he did have

some untapped potential as a pass rusher and

the Cowboys found this out in a hurry. Due to

injuries (DeMarcus Lawrence missed nine games

and Randy Gregory missed four), Parsons saw a

lot of action on the edge, and as it turned out, he

was pretty darn good. Right out of the gate,

Parsons led the Cowboys in sacks, more than the

next two highest Cowboys defenders combined.

Whether this was the result of excellent scouting

or just pure luck, the Cowboys had landed a

superstar at one of the most sought-after

positions in football. Throughout his three

seasons in the league, Parsons’ number of tackles

has increased annually, and he has consistently

been among the top three players in the

Defensive Player of the Year vote. Given his skill

set, it would appear that you should want him to

be on the edge, and every picture he takes

elsewhere feels wrong. After all, in terms of

quarterback pressures last year, he led the

league. He’s not too bad at it. Parsons is a

dynamic player, though. He is far more capable

than that. Even if it’s early, Mike Zimmer, the

new defensive coordinator, seems determined to

realise that promise. Zimmer claimed that the

offence always knew where he was and had a

solid plan against him after observing how he

was deployed the previous season. He wants to

take him on more adventures and move him

around more this year. And he is getting more

reps at training camp as off-ball linebacker,

which is one of those ways.

Parsons is down in weight, back to 240 pounds,

his playing weight in college. That’s 15 pounds

lighter than his 255 bulk-up from a year ago.

Gone are the muscle-up body transitions meant

to handle every snap battle against bigger

defensive linemen. Sleek is the goal now as

Parsons himself describes…

The goal of this updated Parsons is to increase

the defense’s stealth. Although his physical

prowess will enable him to handle a larger role,

mental toughness will also be crucial. Zimmer is

going to test Parsons’ capacity for thought and

see what novelties he can pull off. It is hoped that

a faster, more covert Parsons will keep the

offence always guessing and the defence less

predictable. It is a cornerstone of the Zimmer

defence. Parsons will experience this as a shift,

but it also has a knock-on impact. Who’s taking

those reps if he’s spending less time on the edge?

Recall that the Cowboys lost Dante Fowler and

Dorance Armstrong to free agency. For the

Cowboys a year ago, they were ranked third and

fifth in edge rushing snaps. Furthermore, Sam

Williams is out for the season after suffering an

injury during practice on Sunday. As a result, the

group will depend on youngster Marshawn

Kneeland and seasoned DeMarcus Lawrence.

Tank is a well-known force, so things will

continue as usual for him, but it might be

unrealistic to expect someone who hasn’t played

a down in the NFL to have a significant part.

Next, the group would focus on down-the-roster

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