'Pride In Versatility': Cowboys LB Micah Parsons New Role With Anthony Barr?

The Dallas Cowboys linebacker was second in Defensive Player of the Year voting last season, in part due to his innate versatility.

When the Dallas Cowboys selected linebacker Micah Parsons with the No. 12 pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, few could have predicted the rookie season that was ahead. Parsons wasn't just the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year, but in legitimate Defensive Player of the Year conversations all season as well. Steelers edge rusher TJ Watt won the AP Defensive Player of the Year award, but Parsons came second in voting and received more nominations than Aaron Donald.

A large reason for Parson's dominance: his one-of-a-kind versatility. ... which will come in handy now that Anthony Barr has joined the fold.

"You gotta own your role," Parsons told NFL Network. "It might not be something that I wanna do, but it's going to help us win games and that's what it's all about. ... I may not want to spy a Kyler Murray all game, but that's what I got to do because I know how special Kyler Murray is; I might not want to cover a Dalvin Cook all game, but we know how special Dalvin is. ... I take pride in that versatility."

So does Barr, who has done many of the same things in his Pro Bowl career with the Minnesota Vikings. And now Dallas gets the fun of figuring out how to use them together.

Last season, Parsons was 1.5 sacks short of the rookie sack record for a single season, Parsons allowed zero touchdowns in 284 coverage snaps and he had the highest Pro Football Focus grade among all linebackers. There wasn't a role that Parsons couldn't own it seems. 

This season, Parsons now has set lofty expectations for himself, stating he has his eyes set on the single season sack record.

"Yeah, 15's like the minimum. 15's what I wanna hit," Parsons told Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports of his goals for 2022. "But definitely 23 is that goal, to break the record."

Parsons has already made a name for himself in Dallas, while showing his "pride in versatility." And now? He'll get help in that task from Anthony Barr.

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