Micah Parsons enjoyed an amazing rookie season with the Dallas Cowboys. After a strong start to his NFL career Parsons was named the Defensive and Overall Rookie of The Year by the Pro Football Writers of America.
Tuesday afternoon, PFWA announced their complete All-Rookie list. Parsons was among three rookie linebackers honored along with Nick Bolton of the Kansas City Chiefs, and Jeremiah Owusu–Koramoah of the Cleveland Browns.
Parsons started all 16 Cowboys games this season. Parsons had 84 tackles and 20 tackles for Loss. He also played in 16 games with the Cowboys as a starter. Parsons was a Defensive rookie of the year candidate right from the start.
Parsons was one of six nominees for the NFL Rookie of the year award. Parsons was selected as a finalist along with Ja’Marr Chase (Cincy Bengals), Najee Harris (Steelers), Mac Jones (New England Patriots), Jaylen Waddle (Miami Dolphins) and Kyle Pitts (Atlanta Falcons).
Parsons’ versatility was a key part of why he was so valuable to the Cowboys when he was a rookie. Parsons was forced to play on both the linebacker and the defensive line because of injuries sustained by Dallas. Parsons was able to switch between these two positions without difficulty after his time as a Penn State star.
Parsons’ versatility is, self-admittedly, one of the greatest aspects of his game.
Parsons stated that “I take great pride in being one of the most versatile players in the NFL.” “I believe I would be able to compete with the best players in the league when it comes to influencing the game. It hasn’t been an all-man job. Being able to hold the receivers helps me a lot. But, I believe I do many different things on defense that can change the game.
The Cowboys’ greatest concern going into the season was defense. The Cowboys were hopeful that Parsons would be a future cornerstone after he was selected 12th in the 2021 NFL Draft. It would be an exaggeration to say they expected Parsons’ impact to be immediate. Parsons showed that he is not only a worthy winner of Rookie of Year awards but also that he is one of the best defensive players in the league.