Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons is one of the best players in the NFL and one of the league’s most vocal stars, even if it means speaking out against his team. Thanks to his honesty, his opinion on the Cowboys team needs and roster also seems to be held in high regard by Jerry Jones.
Just days after Jones said the Cowboys would go all-in this offseason to try and win a Super Bowl, Parsons was in attendance for Super Bowl LVIII. As he told Stephen A. Smith on The Stephen A. Smith Show, the Cowboys’ owner provided his star player with four tickets for his friends to attend the game.
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As Parsons hung out in a luxury box with Jones, the All-Pro edge rusher and Cowboys’ owner discussed the state of the roster. With the perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate a critical part of the team’s long-term plans, Jones asked Parsons what he believes needs to be added to the defense this offseason.
“I told Jerry, I said look at every team that was in that final four, who do they have? Who did Baltimore have? A great lineback core, right? Who did San Fran have? Great linebacker core. KC…I said we need to get another bigger linebacker who is gonna come down and we need to get a super 330 nasty interior.”
Micah Parsons to Jerry Jones on what he wants to see added to the Dallas Cowboys defense
Parsons’ comments are particularly intriguing considering who Dallas drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. The Cowboys used the 24th overall pick on Mazi Smith, who measured at 323 pounds at the NFL Combine. In the pre-draft process, he was viewed as one of the most physically, space-eating defensive tackles in the draft class.
However, Dallas then asked him to shed weight during his rookie season and he got himself down to 290 pounds. It backfired on the Cowboys, with Smith struggling throughout the season. One of his biggest issues came against the run, where offensive linemen easily pushed him around wherever they wanted.
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Finding a linebacker could prove to be much more challenging. Among the top free agents, Bobby Wagner showed last season that he’s lost a significant amount of athleticism, while Devin White hasn’t played at a starting-caliber level in the past year.
All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones would be a perfect fit on the defensive interior in Dallas, but his contract demands will likely push him out of the Cowboys’ price range. While there’s no clear fit who the Cowboys could easily snag, it’s clear Parsons has Jones’ ear and he could have some influence over what defensive players are added in the years to come.
