Moving Micah: Will Parsons Role with Cowboys Change?

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys vs. Randy Gregory saga that unfolded early in March left the team with a shortage of pass-rushers. Gregory is well on his way to becoming a star in the NFL, but he'll manifest that in Denver instead of Dallas.

Who's left to carry the load?

If you want stars in Dallas, look no further than two-time Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year Micah Parsons. But is that enough? Dallas showed interest in another NFL star in free-agent linebacker Bobby Wagner, but bowed out of early on and he's since signed with the Super Bowl Champion Rams.

Micah Parsons

Randy Gregory

Bobby Wagner

Mike McCarthy was asked this week about the possibility of moving Parsons to defensive end full-time after the team was unable to lock down Gregory, and the coach's answer was clear.

"The people that say, 'Hey, why don't you play him at defensive end?' Very fair. That's a very fair question," McCarthy remarked, adding that leaving Parsons in one spot makes it "easier'' on an opposing offense. "But we've made it clear: We want him moving around.

"It would be very easy to just line him up at end and play him there every down, but the fact of the matter is he had, what, 13 sacks? Seven came from the linebacker position, six from the defensive end position," McCarthy explained.

The argument to move Parsons to end has come up before, and scouts and coaches all seem to have the same opinion.

Micah Parsons

Randy Gregory

Micah Parsons

The consensus is that locking Parsons down to one position would take away a lot of his effectiveness by tipping off the offense about his role on any given play. If the offense knows he'll be coming from the end position every play, it's easier to gameplan for him. The same can be said for him lining up at linebacker every down.

Parsons is most effective when he can surprise offenses.

And who would want to take that aspect of his game away? Lining up in multiple positions during his rookie season earned him 13 sacks and 84 tackles.

Keeping Parsons effective means letting him play his game, his way.