Cowboys News: Micah Parsons Ties DeMarcus Ware's Franchise Rookie Sack Record
November 21, 2021
Micah Parsons is having quite the rookie season.
The Dallas Cowboys linebacker and pass-rusher tied DeMarcus Ware's rookie franchise sack record of eight sacks with two more Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.
NFL @NFLMicah Parsons is racking up sacks.<br><br>His eighth on the year and second of the game. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DallasCowboys?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DallasCowboys</a><br><br>📺: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DALvsKC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DALvsKC</a> on FOX<br>📱: NFL app <a href="https://t.co/rhpdXIF45E">pic.twitter.com/rhpdXIF45E</a>
That isn't the only impressive company Parsons is keeping:
ESPN Stats & Info @ESPNStatsInfoThe Cowboys' Micah Parsons is the 1st player with 60 tackles and 8.0 sacks in his team’s first 10 games of a season since Terrell Suggs in 2013.<br><br>He’s also the 1st player with 60 tackles and 8.0 sacks in his first 10 career games since 2000. <a href="https://t.co/lvqmfIYBvF">pic.twitter.com/lvqmfIYBvF</a>
Parsons, 22, was the No. 12 overall pick by the Cowboys in the 2021 NFL draft after a successful tenure at Penn State as a linebacker. The belief was that he would join Leighton Vander Esch in Dallas to form a fearsome linebacker corps.
But defensive coordinator Dan Quinn realized that Parsons, who played defensive end in high school, had serious chops coming off the edge.
"The pass-rushing part of him, he has really picked up where he left off," he told reporters in June. "He really had good speed off the edge. That part of the game is intact. Now we are working on behind-the-ball things: man-to-man, playing zone, blitzing from off the ball. Those are things we can feature and assess."
DeMarcus Lawrence began working with Parsons off the edge.
"Last week we were watching film of pass rush, and D-Law came up to me and was like, 'You pass rush like that, rook?'" Parsons told reporters in June. "I was like, 'Yeah, I used to be a defensive end.' He was like, 'All right, tap in with me.' Me and him have been getting closer. If he's out there, he'll help me out and we'll talk a little bit."
Parsons' development as a pass-rusher has been huge with Lawrence sidelined with a broken foot and Randy Gregory out with a calf injury.
Lance Medow @LanceMedowParsons' versatility & production is a big reason why the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cowboys?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cowboys</a> have been able to overcome the DeMarcus Lawrence injury & Randy Gregory now being out of the lineup..he's been an extremely disruptive player..<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chiefs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chiefs</a> have punted 3 times & turned it over twice since their last TD
Getting those edge-rushers healthy will help the Cowboys defense, but Parsons has proved too disruptive, even as a part-time pass-rusher, to remove him from the role.