Cowboys to keep Micah Parsons 'moving around' in 2022

The Dallas Cowboys believed earlier this month that pass-rusher Randy Gregory had agreed to remain with the franchise via a new contract but then learned he had instead put pen to paper on a deal with the Denver Broncos. This development left two-time Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year Micah Parsons as Dallas' standout stars as it pertains to pursuing quarterbacks on Sundays. 

As David Helman wrote for the Cowboys' website, head coach Mike McCarthy was asked this week about possibly moving Parsons to defensive end full-time after the 22-year-old tallied 13 sacks and 84 total tackles during his debut season. McCarthy left little doubt about his feelings regarding that subject. 

"The people that say, 'Hey, why don't you play him at defensive end?' very fair. That's a very fair question," McCarthy remarked. "But we've made it clear: We want him moving around."

McCarthy added that the numbers show the Cowboys may not have much to gain by locking Parsons into one specific role. 

"It would be very easy to just line him up at end and play him there every down, but the fact of the matter is he had, what, 13 sacks. Seven came from the linebacker position, six from the defensive end position," McCarthy explained. 

McCarthy also said that playing Parsons only as a defensive end would be "helping" offensive players keep better track of him throughout games.