It is going to be interesting to see how Micah Parsons finishes the season for the Dallas Cowboys.
The Dallas Cowboys aren’t having the season they would have hoped. At 3-7, their hopes for a fourth-consecutive playoff appearance are all but gone, and it appears that a top five draft pick could be in their future.
One of the most frustrating things about this season has been the injury report for Dallas. It has resembled a scroll as weekly, it seems to get longer and longer. Quarterback Dak Prescott is done for the season, which has crippled the Cowboys to the core. Also, there are several other guys who would be considered leaders in Dallas who have missed time or are currently dealing with an ailment. As a result, defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer has presented former first-round pick and All-Pro Micah Parsons with a challenge, which he spoke about recently.
Zim’s talking to me about my leadership and how I need to be better. I love that stuff, because it bothers me when I feel like a coach is upset at me. He gave me a challenge, and I’m going to live up to that challenge.
Dallas hit the jackpot when they drafted Parsons. He’s done nothing but live up to his first-round draft status with three-consecutive All-Pro campaigns to start his career. That’s what the best players do. They lead by example with how they prepare and perform when it’s game time, and not many on the defensive side of the ball have done it on his level since he entered the NFL in 2021.
As mentioned earlier, the Cowboys have made the playoffs each of the previous three seasons, and Parsons has been at the forefront of their success. However, this year has been different with all the injuries the Cowboys have coupled with play on the field that has left a lot to be desired. Situations like these truly test the character of guys like Parsons that are looked at to guide the ship. He talked about evolving as one of the leaders in Dallas.
I’m learning how to lead differently, I’m learning how to become a better leader. It’s challenging in these dark times, it was easy when were always winning and we were always the ones whooping on people, and it didn’t matter who stepped up or who was the light, and you were able to just sit back and watch everything and how things unfold, but now people are looking at me.
One of the things the Cowboys have been able to rely on over the last several years is a good defense that created a lot of turnovers (led the NFL in 2021 and 2022). However, under Zimmer, it has not been anywhere close to that. Dallas ranks 31st against the run, 27th overall, and has the fourth-fewest turnovers with nine (tied for second-worst turnover differential).
In defense of Zimmer, the Cowboys didn’t exactly give him what he needed to succeed. Zimmer relies on big interior defensive lineman to cause chaos, and while Dallas brought some guys in, veterans Linval Joseph and Jordan Phillips are just too long in the tooth and their best days are behind them. Also, even before the injuries to Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Sam Williams, and rookie Marshawn Kneeland, the Cowboys needed help at edge rusher after losing Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler in free agency. Veteran Carl Lawson was signed, and he’s made some plays, but that wasn’t nearly enough.
There is some light at the end of the tunnel, though. In addition to Parsons being back, All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland is expected to make his season debut on Sunday against the Washington Commanders. Also, Kneeland had his 21-day practice window started this week.
Parsons is confident that by seasons end, Zimmer will have put together a defense that can be built on for the future.
By the end of this year, y’all are going to say Mike Zimmer didn’t have all his pieces, but we sure did put a damn good defense together. And I can take that, because I know we can grow from that.
Dallas has seven more games to get things flowing in the right direction on defense. So, we’ll see how things play out.
