Micah Parsons isn’t hiding why he fell to 12th in last year’s draft—the Cowboys actually landed the former Penn State star after trading from No. 10 with the division-rival Eagles—even if a lot of people in his position would.
Really, there were two reasons for it. The same two everyone talked about in the spring.
“There were a lot of things coming around about my character,” Parsons told me from a victorious locker room on Sunday afternoon. “And before all that stuff, and before I decided to opt out [of the 2020 college season], I was considered a top-five pick. A lot of things came out about my character. And I told them—I did things when I was 16, 17. I did things when I was a freshman in college. I was having fun, but I didn’t think that would define who I am today.
“And I think people took that into consideration and their needs [into consideration]. But I don’t really stress about it. Everything always comes—you can’t stop what God has planned for you. And I’m just really taking advantage of all my opportunities I have now. I’m just grateful Dallas took me at 12. And I just try to show them every day how appreciative I am.”
Eight months later, we can take away two more things from the start of Parsons’s career.
He’s grown up plenty. And the Cowboys are just as appreciative that Parsons was there as he was that they took him.
Dallas’s 27–20 win in Landover, over a very game Washington team, was just another example of how this Cowboys group has a shot to be different from its predecessors. The high-octane offense is still there, or at least it is when it’s at full strength—running back injuries have followed November’s receiver absences, and the line has had its health issues, too. And now, it has a defense that can shoulder the load when the offense stalls.
With all due respect to emerging star corner Trevon Diggs and new coordinator Dan Quinn, the 22-year-old Parsons is easily the biggest reason why. His prodigious talent is, of course, a piece of the story. But everyone knew how talented he was back in April. It’s what he’s now chosen to do with that talent that’s made the difference.
The result? The race for Defensive Rookie of the Year is effectively over with four weeks left in the season. Parsons is now running a new race, with guys like T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett, for Defensive Player of the Year, an award only one rookie has ever won before.
“Yes,” Parsons answered, when I asked if he knew which rookie it was. “Lawrence Taylor.”
That’s heady company, of course. But if you’ve been paying attention to Parsons and the defense around him, and where they could take this edition of America’s Team, the idea that he’d be in that kind of company really isn’t so wild. And all of it was on display in an absolutely vital NFC East showdown on Sunday in Maryland.
