PFF Reveals Top 3 Cowboys: Micah Parsons 'Most Impactful’?
The Dallas Cowboys' early first-round exit in the playoffs this past season didn't do any justice in proving the dynamic star power the team possessed on the way to earning a 12-5 record and the No. 3 seed in the NFC.
With the exception of a few big names no longer in Dallas, including receiver Amari Cooper and defensive lineman Randy Gregory, along with the departure of important contributors from last season like receiver Cedrick Wilson and safety Damontae Kazee, the Cowboys still have a talented roster capable of reaching the same level of success the team saw in the 2021 regular season.
PFF revealed its list of top three players for all 32 teams Wednesday and showed love to Dallas' vets and a rising young superstar.
In order, here's who PFF listed as the three best players on the Cowboys:
-Zack Martin
-Micah Parsons
-Tyron Smith
As teammates, Martin and Smith and been staples in the Dallas offense for nearly a decade now. Their constant presence on the offensive line is often taken for granted, but their collective performance has proven to be the driving force in determining the Cowboys' success from year to year
But the focus - and rightfully so - has been fixated on Parsons, who PFF calls "one of the most impactful defensive players in the NFL" despite only entering his second year.
Here's what PFF had to say about the two veterans and the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year:
Martin and Smith — two of the best players at their respective positions — are the constants in a re-shuffling Cowboys offensive line. They rank first and fourth respectively in PFF’s Wins Above Replacement (WAR) metric at their position since Martin entered the league in 2014.
Parsons doesn’t have that same extended track record of elite play, but he showed in his rookie season that he’s already one of the most impactful defensive players in the NFL. He was PFF’s highest-graded off-ball linebacker in 2021 while also beating offensive tackles consistently when Dallas asked him to rush off the edge.
Parsons took the league by storm early last season with his incredible speed and ferociousness on the defensive line while displaying a sound ability to drop into coverage when asked. So just imagine the kind of things he's capable of doing starting this fall.
The Penn State product was sixth in the league in sacks (13) and third in tackles-for-loss (20). A game-changer at every spot in the defensive front, Parsons is no doubt one of Dallas' most important players as he entering the 2022-23 NFL season.
And it's hard not to give partial credit to Martin and Smith for helping Parsons adjust to the elite o-line performance of the NFL, as the two of them will be tasked once again with lining up against "The Lion" every day in practice. Like the saying goes, "iron sharpens iron," as this trio will look to continue to prove themselves as Dallas' top-three players this season.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @szzevenn
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