FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys three-time All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons is the NFL’s best at getting after quarterbacks.
He led the NFL with 103 quarterback pressures in 2023, and he racked up an NFL-best 11 pressures, tied for the most in the league with Lions Pro Bowler Aidan Hutchinson, in Week 1 against quarterback Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns in a 33-17 Cowboys win. Parsons also totaled a sack, but he stunning got beat out for a second one by second-year linebacker DeMarvion Overshown. The 24-year-old 2023 third-round pick out of Texas lost his entire rookie season after tearing his ACL in the preseason. In his first game post-ACL and first career NFL regular-season game, he made the explosive Parsons look slow on a fourth-and-six sack of Watson in the third quarter that resulted in a turnover on downs for Cleveland. In the video of below, he hits the afterburners to corral the Browns mobile quarterback.
Parsons couldn’t believe his eyes.
“I don’t even know what happened,” Parsons said of the play on Wednesday. “I’m going to tell you. I was like, ‘Bro, you’re gonna have people who think you’re faster than me now.’ I say, ‘I can’t take no more breaks. That’s what those fresh legs is getting you.’ He’s [Overshown] so fast. He’s explosive, though. I told him after the game how proud I was of him. Me and Overshown had a great relationship last year. Over his time he was recovering, just kept checking on him. To see all those talents and everything we saw in camp, just happened to have that injury, come out there like that in the first game, his confidence through the roof, it just got me super excited.”
How excited is Parsons? He has seen enough to declare Overshow a future All-Pro after one regular season game in the linebacker totaled a game-high 11 tackles and the explosive sack.
“He’s going. There’s no doubt about it. He’s going. I’ve been telling people how explosive he is,” Parsons said. “He’s coming downhill with intent with everything. He’s one of the most exciting players that I’ve seen. I think he’s going to be an All-Pro player.”
Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy seconded Parsons’ opinion about feeling Overshown’s presence on the field after his recovery from the torn ACL.
“Yeah, impactful,” McCarthy said of Overshown on Monday. “We all felt his speed. There were a couple of plays, the fourth down, some great pursuit plays. You definitely feel him out there. It was great to see him out there flying around. … Really, just happy for those guys [Diggs and Overshown who both came back from torn ACLs]. Those are dark hours. You see them in the training room. I’m watching [defensive lineman] Sam [Williams] go through it right now. He’s down there every morning. It’s a long road back. To see them run out of that tunnel, that’s a big deal. It’s good to see those guys playing free. Definitely, the amount of the work those guys put in, you have to give [director of rehab] Britt Brown and the staff a lot of credit.”
Dallas defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer leaned on Overshown’s speed to use him as a quarterback spy in an effort to dissuade Watson from taking off and running the ball himself.
“Yeah, he’s got good speed, and we used him a couple times to spy Watson,” Zimmer said on Monday. “Him doing that was big for us. Once the guy [Watson] got out of the pocket that allows the defensive line to kind of turn it loose. You don’t have to worry about pass rush lanes as much. You have somebody covering for him that has some juice. So he did good.”
Ravens MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson (Week 2), Giants passer Daniel Jones (Weeks 4 and 13), Justin Fields or Russell Wilson starting for the Steelers (Week 5), Eagles Pro Bowler Jalen Hurts (Weeks 10 and 17) and 2024 second overall pick Jayden Daniels (Weeks 12 and 18) are all on Dallas’ schedule in 2024. Overshow will help by limiting those dual-threats opportunities to get outside the pocket as evidenced in Week 1.
“Yeah, obviously a bunch of these guys can run around,” Zimmer said of the quarterbacks Dallas will face that year. I think the defensive line appreciates having someone able to do that.”
Corralling Alvin Kamara
New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr isn’t in the same tier of mobility as some of the aforementioned quarterback, but his backfield mate in five-time Pro Bowl running back Alvin Kamara is one of the NFL’s shiftiest players. Dallas will need all hands on deck, not just Overshown and Parsons, to keep him in check. Kamara played a key role in curb-stomping the Carolina Panthers 47-10 in Week 1 with 110 scrimmage yards (83 rushing on 15 carries and 27 receiving yards on five catches) and a rushing touchdown on 20 touches.
“He’s the main focus,” Parsons said of Kamara in Week 2. “That run game always. They were dominant last week against the Panthers and I think this is a great system. Their OC [Klint Kubiak] came from San Fran, so it gives us a glimpse of what we could potentially see later on down the road. Kamara is Kamara man. What he put up another 100 last week? He didn’t really have any drop off. It’s going to be a great challenge. He’s still one of the best backs in this league. He dealt with injuries over the last couple of years, but so does everyone, but so far we saw he looks healthy and I’m excited for the first time to go against the guy.”
Cowboys Pro Bowl linebacker Eric Kendricks battled Kamara for years playing under Zimmer on the Minnesota Vikings, which is why he cannot stress enough how important it is to stay on point against Kamara because of the blend of speed and power he possesses.
“He’s very elusive, very, very shifty,” Kendricks said on Thursday. “He’s avery smooth athlete. Nothing is too shifty. He just, moves around very smooth and effortless, but he’s moving fast. Then at the end of the day, he’s like 225 [215 pounds to be exact]. You think he’s all finesse … , but at the end of the day, when you go to tackle him he’s got some weight behind his pads.”
New Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak came over from the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers where he worked as the 49ers’ passing game coordinator. New Orleans’ offense already has a Shanahan style feel after one week.
New Orleans lined up under center more than any other offense in the league in Week 1, on 61.3% of their plays, and they used play-action on over one third of their dropbacks (39%) for the first time since signing Carr in the 2023 offseason, according to NFL Pro Insights. The Saints also utilized two-back formations at an NFL-high rate of 37%, and they sent a player in motion on 74.2% of their snaps, the fifth-highest rate in the league. Those offenses centered the under center, zone-blocking scheme with heavy play-action have sent the Cowboys home in the last three playoff runs between the 49ers (2021 and 2022) and the Green Bay Packers (2023). Dallas’ defense is ready for a fight on Sunday.
“Yeah, those offenses are annoying,” Cowboys Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs said Wednesday.
