Micah Parson’s goal for second year is to break single-season sack record

To say that Micah Parsons was a revelation in 2021 would be a giant understatement. The Dallas Cowboys first-round draft pick in 2021 was kind of an accidental Cowboy after both the corners Dallas wanted were taking ahead of the team’s pick at number ten. One small trade later, the Cowboys nabbed Parsons and stumbled into one of the best defenders in the NFL.

By the time Parsons had finished his rookie year, everyone was thinking how did eleven other teams pass on this guy? Parsons had one of the most dominant rookie seasons ever and was seriously in contention for the Defensive Player of the Year award. Comparisons to the legendary Lawrence Taylor were even thrown around.

The Cowboys, almost of necessity, temporarily moved Parsons to defensive end early in the year to fill in for injury, and discovered that his ability to rush the passer was second to none. After that, they proceeded to make him a hybrid LB/DE that terrorized offenses all season.

Parsons finished with 13 sacks although he would have had many more if he had more opportunities to rush the passer. The Cowboys want to keep Parsons as a hybrid player so he might not get as many opportunities as most pass rushers. That doesn’t mean he’s not thinking big. When asked about 2022, his goal is to break the single-season sack record.

But do you have any numbers in mind for 2022, after hitting 13 sacks as a rookie?

Parsons: Yeah, 15’s like the minimum. 15’s what I wanna hit. But definitely 23 is that goal, to break the record.

The 15 number seems attainable, especially if the Cowboys turn him loose more often to rush the passer. Any Cowboys fan should be more than happy if he hits 15 after putting up 13 the year before.

But it is tantalizing to think what he could do if he was closer to a full-time pass rusher. Would he be able to challenge for that 23 number? What’s your call BTB?