Back in June, Dallas Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons somewhat surprisingly said that he and Mike Zimmer had probably said a total of 20 words to each other since Zimmer was hired as defensive coordinator in February. It was easy to speculate that the relationship might take time to develop. It appears that it has, and Zimmer confirmed as much this week while talking about Dallas’ top defensive weapon..
“We do have a good relationship,” Zimmer said. “He came up to me during the game (Sunday) and said, ‘We need to run this.’ And I said, ‘Dude, it’s the two-minute drill. Can you just relax? It’s starred on the sheet right here. You see it?’ And he was like, ‘OK, OK, OK.’ He means well. And he’s very smart. He’s brilliant.”
How has Parsons shown that brilliance?
“A lot of different ways,” Zimmer said. “Not just football. It’s the things we talk about. We went to dinner one night over here (by The Star) just me and him. Just talking about life and his background and my background, things like that. He’s very smart. He’ll come up to me, and he’ll say, ‘This would be a good thing to do.’ (A play) where he can get a free shot somewhere.”
The Cowboys’ front office has been pleased with the job Zimmer has done taking over a defense that was called by Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn the previous three seasons. Like with Quinn, Zimmer has been finding ways to move Parsons around and maximize his abilities.
Parsons wasn’t as impactful as usual to start the season, and then he suffered a high ankle sprain that caused him to miss four games. But since returning, Parsons has put up similar numbers to previous seasons, totaling 7 1/2 sacks, 13 QB hits and six tackles for loss over the past six games.
A Lion’s Pride 🦁 #ProBowlVote | @MicahhParsons11 | @2live57 | @Osagoeshard
📺: Up Next ➡️ #TBvsDAL 12/22 on NBC pic.twitter.com/upQ5wmHGlk
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) December 16, 2024
Your must-reads and listen
• Saad Yousuf: What’s Cooper Rush’s future? Right now, it’s his audition to remain the backup QB.
• Jon Machota: Who would have guessed? Rico Dowdle is on track to hit 1,000 rushing yards this season.
• Dallas is no longer heading toward a top-10 pick. Nick Baumgardner looks at those 10 selections.
• Vic’s Picks: All the games, including the Bucs (-4) at the Cowboys on Sunday night.
• And this week’s “One Star Cowboys Podcast” opens up the Christmas mailbag. Enjoy!
Undrafted free agents
The Cowboys’ injury issues have led to playing several undrafted players. Nine undrafted offensive players contributed to Dallas’ 30-14 win on Sunday in Charlotte. The most notable were the following starters: QB Cooper Rush, RB Rico Dowdle, RT Terence Steele, C Brock Hoffman and RG T.J. Bass.
“I think it reflects on the fact that we’ve been kicking ass in the eighth round,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy joked. “It’s part of our draft-and-develop program. I’m just proud of those guys. I think it’s all an example of it’s not where you started, you just keep working and your opportunity comes. I think they have clearly taken advantage of it. I think that’s awesome.”
There are seven rounds in the NFL Draft. Some view undrafted free agency as an additional round.
Injuries
It’s been another lengthy injury list to open the week, but there is actually some positive. Other than CB Trevon Diggs, everyone else on this list has a chance to play Sunday night against the Buccaneers.
Cowboys’ latest injury report pic.twitter.com/8RAly0Dagc
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) December 18, 2024
DE DeMarcus Lawrence has been out since suffering a foot injury in Week 4. While it seems unlikely that Lawrence will return this season, McCarthy isn’t ruling him out.
“He was in the rehab (group) today,” McCarthy said Wednesday. “I saw him on the water treadmill. I know he’s going through the metabolics with the training staff. He’s still pushing the rehab process.”
Stats
• Parsons needs one more sack to reach 50 in his career. If he gets at least one sack in Dallas’ next three games, he would become the sixth NFL player since 1982 with at least 50 sacks in his first four seasons. The others: Reggie White 70, Derrick Thomas 58, J.J. Watt 57, DeMarcus Ware 53 1/2 and Dwight Freeney 51.
• CeeDee Lamb needs 131 receiving yards in the next three games to pass Jerry Rice (6,364) for the fourth-most receiving yards in a player’s first five seasons in NFL history.
• This week’s game marks the Cowboys’ NFL-high 82nd appearance on “Sunday Night Football”. Second on the list is the Pittsburgh Steelers at 58 SNF games. Dallas is 41-40 all time on “Sunday Night Football”.
(Top photo of Micah Parsons: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)
