(Editor's Note: In the upcoming weeks before the start of training camp, the staff of DallasCowboys.com is looking to answer the 20 biggest questions facing the team heading into the 2024 season. Today, the staff writers continue the series with a closer look at Micah Parsons' role in Mike Zimmer's defense.)
3) What's Micah's next step in Zimmer's defense?
Nick Harris: Sustainability, simply put. Through his first three seasons, Parsons has come out of the gates on fire, throwing his athleticism all over the place and getting to the quarterback at a healthy pace. But once the calendar flips to December, that production seems to tail off. If Zimmer and Parsons can find a system that allows him to be just as productive late in the season as he is to start the season, then Parsons may finally get that elusive DPOY award he so desperately covets. That may come with an added power element that sometimes wears him down late in games when his athleticism lowers his gas tank.
Mickey Spagnola: Two things for sure. First, reacclimate to playing more at linebacker. And don't mean lining up and blitzing as much as he was asked to do in Dan Quinn's system, but being able to play the run like he did at Penn State. The NFL is not always all about the sacks. Sacks are good but the Cowboys must improve their run defense and I remember looking back at Micah's Penn state tape and what initially caught my eye was his ability to diagnose run plays and shoot gaps. Also, this goes for playing defensive end, too. He must improve on setting the edge against the run. That is a vital part of playing defense end. Ask DeMarcus Lawrence.
Kyle Youmans: Continued success late in the season. That's it. Parsons has already established himself as the most dynamic pass rusher in football. He's shown impact and improvement in each of his three NFL seasons. Conversely, it's no longer a secret that his production trends in the wrong direction once the calendar turns to December and January. From September to November, Parsons averages 4.7 tackles and a sack per game, along with 40 of his 51 career tackles for loss during that time span. This could either be attributed to his all-out approach across a long season, or as simple as teams finding a way to limit his production. Even if his actual role doesn't change a ton, Mike Zimmer must set him up to produce late in the season when the games matter most.
Patrik Walker: Well, first, they should probably actually have a conversation. I'll assume that's happened by now — less than one week from the first training camp practice — and predict Parsons becomes a versatile weapon primarily operating off of the edge for Zimmer and less so as an off-ball linebacker. Zimmer didn't bring in Kendricks and Liufau with the goal of Parsons primarily being an actual linebacker, after all. For Parsons, it's about controlling what he can control. There's nothing he can do about the horrendous number of non-calls occurring when he's being mugged in the trenches. When he breaks free, though? It's about turning more of his league-leading QB pressures into sacks that would seen him go from the realm of mid-teens in that category to the air breathed by T.J. Watt (20+). He's already on the cusp of taking that next step, and only needs to do it, though it's easier said than done when you're being placed in a chokehold after the snap.
Nick Eatman: Sometimes even the great ones need a different voice. That's what the Cowboys are counting on with Zimmer and Parsons. I think it's going to be interesting how Micah fits into the new scheme and how much Zimmer has tailored it around his strengths. Surely, these conversations were had before Zimmer was even hired. If the Cowboys didn't find out what his plan would be for Micah, then that's on them. That's why I'm not worried about any conversations of lack thereof between the two. Zimmer knows he needs Parsons to ball out and Parsons knows he must do the same, especially with a contract on the line. Can he buy into a run-stopping mode? Can he have more sacks in December and January? Those are the two big questions for Parsons if he wants to take the next step.
Kurt Daniels: How Parsons performs this season could depend on how well he and Zimmer work together. Parsons said that his new defensive coordinator has an "old-school mindset" and that it's going to be a "compromising relationship." Meaning, it sounds like he's willing to do what is asked, but he also expects Zimmer to listen to his side of things. So what remains to be seen is how will Parsons react if Zimmer decides one of the NFL's best pass rushers needs to play more linebacker? In turn, how will Zimmer respond if his hard-nosed approach doesn't work with the young star? In the end, I think we'll see Parsons put up another monstrous season … especially since he's got his own contract negotiations coming up.
