Cowboys Micah Parsons No. 1 Non-QB MVP Candidate?
When thinking about the NFL's MVP award, many see it as solely a "quarterback award,'' and they're right. Since 1999, only four non-quarterback players have managed to take home the prize.
Only Marshall Faulk (2000), Shaun Alexander (2005), LaDainian Tomlinson (2006), and Adrian Peterson in 2012 represent the small number of players to take the trophy.
But could Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons be the one to add his name to the list? In an article for NFL.com, Eric Edholm listed a non-quarterback player who take out the MVP award from each team, with Micah getting the nod in Dallas over CeeDee Lamb.
"Parsons was primarily a pass rusher last season, but he's shown enough impact in coverage and run stopping -- from multiple alignments -- to prove he's a unique player," Edholm writes. "Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has done a masterful job not messing up with Parsons the past two seasons, so my level of confidence that he'll continue getting the most out of him remains high.
"The bottom line is that he's arguably the best defender in football already. As long as Parsons keeps doing a lot of what he's done so far, he should remain at his elite level."
There is no doubting Edholm's pick here for Dallas as Parsons, since entering the league in 2021, Micah leads the Cowboys in sacks (26.5), tackles for loss (33), forced fumbles (6), and quarterback hits (56).
His record speaks for itself, and while the MVP award is seen as a quarterbacks award, Micah has all the tools to take home one of the NFL's biggest individual awards.
Also, Micah has been runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons, losing to T.J. Watt in 2021 and Nick Bosa last season.
Given that Edholm's list is for non-quarterbacks, maybe Lamb is worthy of consideration as well. After all, he is coming off a career-best season that saw him notch 1,359 receiving yards and nine touchdowns with Cooper Rush as his quarterback for five games. But for most, Micah is the obvious choice.
Parsons seems to be on a trajectory for superstardom, and while his first two seasons in the NFL have been ridiculously productive as he has earned back-to-back All-Pro nods, maybe he is meant for so much more. ... Like being the first defensive player since the great Lawrence Taylor in 1986 to win the NFL MVP award.
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