Micah Parsons as 'The Joker'
I explore how former Defensive Coordinator of the Cowboys and current Head Coach of the Washington Commanders, Dan Quinn, utilized his top defender as a strategic weapon to target opposing O-lines.
The Cowboys selected Micah Parsons with the twelfth pick in the 2021 Draft, and he was slotted as a hybrid off-ball LB who had a knack for sacking the QB. Listed at 6-3 245 lbs., Parsons is not the biggest Edge in the NFL. He makes up for what he lacks in overall size in explosive power.
In his first year in the NFL, Parsons would take home a unanimous NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, along with All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors. With 13 total sacks, Parsons ended his rookie campaign two shy of the NFL rookie record.
Initially, the Cowboys played Parsons as an off-ball ‘backer, with a Blitz Rate of ~16% when he was aligned at the second level of the Cowboys’ defense. In the first half of the season, Parsons spent ~63% of his time as an off-ball LB. After the mid-point of the season and injuries along the D-line piling up in Dallas, Parsons moved to Edge for the rest of the season (~47%).
After the ‘21 season, Parsons had played in coverage on 295 of his 960 total snaps (~31%). Thus, the argument of where Parsons should play began.
Parsons has been very vocal about wanting to play multiple positions and sees himself as more of an Ameba defender than just a classic Edge. Clearly, the Dallas brass saw this differently. After the ‘21 campaign, Parsons’ off-ball numbers plummeted and have gotten smaller every year.
The All-Pro defender’s coverage snaps dropped from 295 to 76 in ‘22 and only 19 total coverage snaps in ‘23. The Cowboys increasingly featured Parsons as a full-time Edge, limiting his exposure as an off-ball LB.
One of the knocks on Parsons has been his ability to cover WRs and RBs downfield. Above is a Heat Map via Field Vision that illustrates where teams targeted Parsons in coverage over the past three years.
Over the past three seasons, only four Edges have had more sacks: Myles Garrett (Browns), TJ Watt (Steelers), Nick Bosa (49ers), and Trey Hendrickson (Bengals). Parsons’ 40.5 sacks make him fifth all-time to start a career. Dallas has one of the best Edges in the league, and as they have illustrated the past two seasons, they want him to stay there.
Last season, Parsons finished first in pressure rate (21.6%) and has been the leader in that metric over the past three seasons. He has also played most of the time on the line of scrimmage the past two seasons, so there is a return on investment when he plays near the line of scrimmage.
To appease Parsons’ desire to play off the ball, Quinn and his staff devised unique ways to get him off the ball while still allowing him to utilize his pass-rush abilities. It was often as simple as aligning him at LB and then walking him down, shifting the defense into a five-man front. Above is an excellent example against the Chargers.
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