All eyes are on Micah Parsons, although that’s hardly uncommon. Through the season, it’s normally opposing offensive coaches and gamers who consistently obsess over Parsons, the place he’s at and who’s tasked with attempting (and infrequently failing) to cease him.
Proper now, all eyes are on his cash, particularly the dearth thereof. Parsons’ rookie deal is about to run out after this upcoming season, and extension talks have been gradual up to now. To nobody’s shock, Parsons has opted to skip voluntary exercises, although he not too long ago pledged to indicate up for necessary OTA’s, avoiding any potential fines or added drama.
Whereas everybody is targeted on whether or not or not a deal will occur – spoiler alert: it should, however not earlier than much more hand-wringing – the larger query relating to the famous person defender must be targeted on what his function will likely be in 2025.
Since getting into the league in 2021, Parsons has loved a type of hybrid function for the Cowboys. Whereas his elite move rush abilities have meant that he’s going after the quarterback on the vast majority of snaps, it hasn’t stored him from being moved across the protection like a chess piece.
When Dan Quinn was on the town, Parsons lined up fairly actually in all places. He spent most of his time on the road of scrimmage, however lined up someplace totally different each snap. He would often begin at off-ball linebacker too, earlier than blitzing on the snap. Quinn even had Parsons lined up out extensive as a defensive again on a pair remoted events.
Parsons’ function grew to become a bit extra outlined with Mike Zimmer final 12 months, however not restrictively so. Whereas the 2024 season noticed Parsons’ highest share of snaps on the road of scrimmage, Zimmer basically constructed his scheme round Parsons having the discretion to line up wherever he needed, with the star move rusher saying this early within the season:
The truth that I obtained the creativity to regulate issues the place I do know I obtained to be on my A-game at all times as a result of I obtained these different guys relying on me now to love controlling that [alignment]. It sort of will get me extra excited, it will get me extra into it. It will get that drive, that starvation just a bit bit extra. Now I really feel like I simply can’t let this man [Zimmer] down. He’s giving me the keys to the system.
Parsons nonetheless primarily performed out on the sides, the place he’s most comfy and simplest, however the freedom to maneuver round at will helped unlock a special animal for the Lion. It grew to become frequent for Parsons to work as a linebacker mugging the A-gap on third downs, a well-liked entrance for Zimmer. He even took 17 charted snaps at defensive sort out, an alignment so distinctive that offensive linemen didn’t fairly know what to do with it.
Zimmer is gone, although, and he’s changed by Matt Eberflus. Whereas there are some philosophical similarities between Eberflus and Zimmer – they each come from 4-3 backgrounds and name a number of zone protection – there are extra variations than similarities.
Eberflus has usually been extra inflexible in his schemes. Whereas Zimmer is hellbent on doing something and every part to confuse the quarterback – generally at the price of complicated his personal gamers, too – Eberflus has at all times prioritized simplicity in scheme, preferring to let his gamers’ pure athleticism do the work for them.
That begs the query of how Eberflus will deploy Parsons. In taking a look at Eberflus’ defenses prior to now, essentially the most we’ve seen when it comes to creativity together with his move rushers is having hybrid defensive ends who shift inside on passing downs. Hardly akin to the multiplicity that Parsons is able to.
That stated, Eberflus has by no means labored with a participant like Parsons.
Earlier within the offseason, Eberflus was requested about his plans for the perennial All Professional. Whereas he didn’t give something particular – not atypical for coaches in February – Eberflus did say this:
“Micah is a premier move rusher. We’re going to make use of him that manner, actually, and he’s one heck of an athlete that may do a number of various things for us on protection. And when you may have a man like that, you need to have the ability to make the most of his ability set.
As we’re round him extra, we’ll see what that ability set is, and actually reap the benefits of that. … He is aware of that we’ll simply make him in one of the best mild that he could be when it comes to place, when it comes to move rush, and actually using what he does finest, and that’s dashing the passer.”
Eberflus appears to be hinting at nonetheless preserving a few of Parsons’ positional flexibility, however did hold coming again to his view of Parsons’ worth actually coming within the move rush side. One other key bread crumb from his feedback: “as we’re round him extra.”
Up to now, Eberflus hasn’t been round Parsons a lot. Due to this fact, the method of determining the right way to transfer him round, the place he’s most comfy, and the way the scheme ought to change on account of that place flex has been delayed considerably.
It doesn’t assist that the Cowboys didn’t retain any defensive coaches from final 12 months, except for former security Darian Thompson, who’s aiding with the secondary. Eberflus received’t have some other coaches to depend on for intel about the right way to finest maximize Parsons’ distinctive talents, simply the gamers and the movie.
Parsons is more likely to nonetheless be a one-man wrecking crew even when Eberflus’ plans for him are vanilla in comparison with current seasons, nevertheless it’s one thing value contemplating. Given how a lot of Parsons’ super worth stems from the truth that he can beat you from wherever, it’s at the least a little bit regarding that we don’t actually know the way he’ll be used on this new scheme.
