Cowboys DC Dan Quinn plans to unleash Micah Parsons even more this season

OXNARD, Calif. — First Dan Quinn spotted the quickness.

The Cowboys defensive coordinator had known rookie Micah Parsons brought coverage and blitz abilities to Dallas, Parsons’ college tape demonstrating how he could leverage size and speed effectively across downs.

But pass-rushing? Parsons’ COVID-shortened college career didn’t scream edge talent. So Quinn experimented.

“That started, I’d say, in minicamp,” Quinn told USA TODAY Sports. “‘OK, I’m going to add more, add more, add more.’

“It was really during training camp (last year) that I figured we had something as a pass rusher. ... I wasn’t planning to go into the season using him as a defensive end.”

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But then the Cowboys lost defensive end Randy Gregory to a COVID-19 bout, and defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence was sidelined 10 weeks with a fractured foot. Suddenly, Dallas was preparing for a 2021 Week 2 visit to the Los Angeles Chargers without either starting edge.

So Parsons stepped in.

He thrived.

This year, expect him to pass-rush again.

“It was after that practice (before Week 2) that I said, ‘Hey come up and see me: I think I’m going to do this for the whole game,’” Quinn said. “So that’s how it started. And I’ll do that again some this year, where he’d be a D-end for the game.

“When I feel like I need that, I’ll do it.”

‘That is his superpower’

Parsons isn’t the first player for whom Quinn has devised a versatile role. But he is the first player Quinn overtly directs to split time between two position groups’ meetings. Parsons even adheres to a daily practice plan in which he joins defensive linemen for two-minute work before cycling through individual drills with the linebacking corps.

“Every day, trying to make sure I’m not losing anything in either,” Parsons said. “I’m just enhancing my knowledge of the game.”

The initial ask was tall for a 22-year-old rookie linebacker 18 months removed from competitive football (Parsons opted out of the 2020 COVID-19-skewed season). But Quinn found reason to trust.