The Dallas Cowboys will have a new defensive coordinator for the third time in as many seasons after they hired Matt Eberflus to replace Mike Zimmer, who is contemplating retiring from coaching in the NFL.
There was a lot of revisionist history going around after Dan Quinn led the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game. A number of media numbers ridiculed the Cowboys for not moving on from Mike McCarthy last year and promoting Quinn to head coach when Quinn had just overseen maybe the worst defensive performance in a playoff game in franchise history.
But we digress.
While Quinn and Zimmer's schemes were polar opposites, their one common denominator was getting the most out of Micah Parsons.
Eberflus has some big shoes to fill in that regard, but he plans to keep it simple as far as his vision for Parsons in his defense.
Matt Eberflus reveals what he envisions for Micah Parsons in new Cowboys defense
Eberflus does not want to reinvent the wheel with Parsons, who's firmly established as one of the best defensive players in football.
"Micah is a premier pass rusher. We're going to use him that way, certainly, and he's one heck of an athlete that can do a lot of different things for us on defense," Eberflus said, via team writer Patrik Walker.
"And when you have a guy like that, you want to be able to utilize his skill set. As we're around him more, we'll see what that skill set is, and really take advantage of that... He knows that we'll just make him in the best light that he can be in terms of position, in terms of pass rush, and really utilizing what he does best, and that's rushing the passer."
While Eberflus recognizes that Parsons can wear many hats in a defense, he made it clear he wants Parsons to predominantly rush the passer.
There is little doubt that Parsons can be effective as an off-ball linebacker. He proved as much in his rookie season, but there is no need to force that conversation for a third year in a row just because Dallas has another shot-caller on the defensive side of the ball.
Whether it's bull-rushing an opposing linemen into a quarterback's lap, winning around the edge thanks to his elite speed and bend, or consuming double teams so his friends along the defensive line can get home, Parsons can wreck a game in myriad ways. And it call comes back to his ability to rush the QB.
Over the last three seasons, Parsons has finished first, first and fifth in total pressures among edge defenders, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). It is ridiculous that Parsons cracked the top five in 2024 despite missing four games with a high-ankle sprain. It's fair to assume he would have finished first for the third straight year if not for the injury.
There is no need for Eberflus to overcomplicate this. Only one player in the world is better than Parsons at getting after the quarterback and that is Myles Garrett.
Parsons is scheme proof at this point in his career, but it's reassuring to hear that Eberflus' vision for The Lion aligns with his greatest skillset.
