DPOY finalist Micah Parsons acknowledges former Cowboys assistant

Parsons is up for the award alongside Nick Bosa and Chris Jones, but a coach who helped mold his first two pro seasons is out in Dallas. | From @ToddBrock24f7

It hasn’t taken long to figure out that Micah Parsons is a one-of-a-kind player. But in terms of this year’s play, the Cowboys linebacker is currently one of three.

Parsons has been named a finalist for this season’s Defensive Player of the Year Award, as announced by the league earlier this week. Parsons is in the running alongside 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa and Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones.

The honor may be bittersweet for Parsons, though, as he also bids farewell to one of the mentors who contributed heavily to his stellar season and his rapid ascension to the top of the NFL’s defensive mountain.

The 23-year-old had a transcendent rookie season, but his sophomore campaign may have been even more impressive. His pass-rush stats and other numbers this year stack up more than adequately with those of Bosa and Jones, even though Parsons split his snaps between edge rusher and linebacker in almost every game. (Not equally, but he certainly wasn’t a full-time line player.)

G Sacks Tkl TFL QBH FF FR PD Snaps
Micah Parsons 17 13.5 65 14 27 3 3 3 919
Nick Bosa 16 18.5 51 19 48 2 0 1 746
Chris Jones 17 15.5 44 17 29 2 1 4 916

Going beyond the basic box score, though, Parsons bested all NFL edge defenders in pass rush win rate, beating his man 30% of the time. Bosa came in at 22%; Jones led interior tackles with 21%.

The official reveal of finalist candidates is a new wrinkle this season, thanks to a first-time voting system in which Associated Press voters ranked their top five picks for MVP and top three candidates for the other traditional end-of-season accolades. The process allows for second- and third-place finishers to be more accurately identified and recognized.

Parsons attributes much of his success over his first two pro seasons to George Edwards. The Cowboys’ senior defensive assistant worked most closely with the linebackers and was often seen on the sidelines coaching up the Penn State product.

Just hours after Parsons learned he was a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year, he took to social media with his reaction to Wednesday’s news that Edwards would not be returning to the Cowboys staff.

“I wouldn’t have made so many leaps with out you!” Parsons tweeted, in part. “You will be missed!”

In 2021, under Edwards and Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, Parsons was the unanimous choice for the league’s Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, but he also received five votes for Defensive Player of the Year. That ultimately went to Pittsburgh linebacker T.J. Watt.

This year, the winner of the Defensive Player of the Year Award and the other AP awards will be announced at the annual NFL Honors ceremony, taking place in Phoenix on Feb. 9, just ahead of Super Bowl LVII.

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