It’s early in the season. I know this. However, over the course of two weeks, one thing has become clear.
Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons has positioned himself to become the NFL’s defensive player of the year. He and he will possibly be the first NFL defensive MVP since 1986.
Yes, it’s early. But Parsons has been dominant. On Sunday against the Jets he was unstoppable. He had two bags. He had three tackles for loss. He had four quarterback hits. He forced a fumble. He recovered a fumble.
He moves with the quickness of an attacking cobra, weaving his way past blockers and into the quarterback’s face. He’s not the only reason the Cowboys have been so dominant through two weeks, but he’s the biggest reason.
It’s a long season. Fifteen games left for Dallas. But if he keeps doing what he’s been doing, and if the Cowboys keep doing what they’ve been doing, Parsons will get MVP votes. And even he might get enough to overcome the presumption that he’s going to a quarterback who plays for a top-two playoff seed. If the Cowboys are No. 1 in the NFC and if Parsons keeps doing Parsons’ things, he could join LT and Alan Page as the NFL’s third MVP on the defensive side of the ball.
It may seem crazy on the surface. It’s definitely not a crazy proposition.