Cowboys’ Micah Parsons gets a taste of life on offense in practice, demands position switch by age 30

Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons’ pass-rushing dominance has earned three All-Pro selections, two first team and one second team, in each of his first three seasons. The numbers back up those accolades.

Parsons is one of only five players ever to have at least 40 (40.5) in his first three NFL seasons since individual sacks became an official statistic in 1982, joining three Pro Football Hall of Famers (Reggie White, Derrick Thomas, Dwight Freeney) and Aldon Smith. Last season was his best yet: Parsons led the NFL in quarterback pressures (103), quarterback pressure rate (21.8%) and pass-rush win rate (35.3%). He also racked up a career-high 14.0 sacks, tied with 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett for the seventh-most in the league. Parsons also did all of this while being double-teamed on 35% of his pass rushes last season, the most in the league among edge players, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. There wasn’t another edge rusher in the NFL who was double-teamed at a rate of 30% or higher in 2023.

All that to say, Parsons may be feeling like he is ready for a new challenge, which is why he has been consistently lobbying for snaps on the offensive side of the ball. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy finally relented and gave Parsons some reps at running back last week, something he now regrets.

“That was a terrible mistake by the head coach,” McCarthy said on Tuesday. “I don’t know what he [McCarthy himself] was thinking. And I didn’t like his reads, either.”

Parsons clapped back in his press conference with the classic line of criticism for when someone who isn’t an ex-NFL player offers a critique.

“Has Mike ever played running back in his life?” Parsons asked. “Someone who has never played the position can’t question somebody’s reads. That’s where we’re going with that.”

After receiving a small taste of life on the offensive side of the ball, Parsons is thirsting for more. He in fact plans to demand a position switch in five years, if his words are to be taken seriously. He is also open to tight end, a position McCarthy gave him some reps at on scout team during the 2023 regular season.

“I think I’ll get to a certain point in my career, maybe when I’m 30, and I’m on my way out of here, I’m going to say, ‘I’m either playing offense or I’m retiring, Jerry. I’m at that end of the road. I’m either living my dream or I’m not anymore,'” Parsons said on Tuesday. “So when I’m 30 I might finally get my carry or I might play tight end like big Witt [Jason Witten]. I can block, too. I can do it all. I think on my way out of here I’ll finally get my offensive dreams.”

When asked if he will still be fast enough to carry the football at 30, Parsons retorted, “At that point, it doesn’t matter. I just need first downs. First downs and goal line.”