Micah Parsons Returning Kickoffs? Dallas Cowboys Coach 'Would Love To See it'

Dallas Cowboys special teams coordinator John Fassel could see linebacker Micah Parsons being a great asset on kickoffs.

Nov 19, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) during / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Micah Parsons is the face of the Dallas Cowboys' defense, but could he take his talents to another phase of the game?

Probably not, but if he did, Cowboys special teams coordinator John Fassel believes he'd be a tremendous asset on special teams. While discussing the NFL's new kickoff rules on the "Ross Tucker Football Podcast," Fassel shared his pipe dream of Parsons returning kicks.

Nov 19, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) during / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

“You know Micah. So, he has lobbied me in the past to just be the primary kickoff returner,” Fassel said, per NFL.com . “I’m like, Micah, that’s the question you got to go a little further up than me on that one. But would I love to see him back there? Absolutely, because he would be fantastic. He would catch it, and he’d run wild. And he’d probably get incredible yards. But that ain’t going to happen. I’m aware of that.”

As Fassel admits, the Cowboys would never risk Parsons injuring himself on kick returns. The star linebacker has played just 15 special teams snap in his three-year career, with all but one of them coming in his rookie season.

That said, there is somewhat of a basis for Fassel's belief. Parsons hasn't returned kickoffs, but he was on the kickoff coverage team for a bit at Penn State. Fassel got to see Parsons up close while scouting for the Los Angeles Rams, and the All-Pro's kickoff coverage skills left him thoroughly impressed.

"I remember watching Micah on kickoff coverage at Penn State as a freshman because I was scouting Nick Scott, a player we had drafted to the Rams," Fassel said. "Then I was looking at Cam Brown also, but 'Who's that guy on kickoff' when [Parsons] was a freshman. Then, you know, you look him up, I don't know who he is, but he'll probably be alright someday. But Micah has asked about being a primary kickoff returner, that hasn't been allowed yet, probably not going to be allowed unless you say, 'Hey, you know in the game we're down by six and there's eight seconds left in the game and we got to score a touchdown and kick return to win it?' Maybe we put Micah back there as a second returner."

The reality? Every once in a while at Cowboys practice, Micah fields a punt or takes a pitchout from Dak Prescott, sort of as a goof ... maybe as a way to keep the energetic star engaged. But ... Parsons certainly won't be unseating KaVontae Turpin for the role of kick returner any time soon, leaving his and Fassel's idea is an entertainingly silly one to think about.