Micah Parsons is moving over to defensive end next season, and he had the perfect trainer to work with in former offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth.
The Dallas Cowboys are preparing for another season in which they plan to make it to the Super Bowl, something they have not done since the 1995 campaign.
There were some changes this offseason after losing in the Divisional Round to the San Francisco 49ers to help them overcome that roadblock. When it comes to the defense, the team made a big change to their depth chart, as they are moving star pass rusher Micah Parsons from outside linebacker to defensive end.
This offseason, Parsons recruited the perfect trainer to help him out. That trainer is none other than former Los Angeles Rams offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth.
Micah Parsons training with Andrew Whitworth this offseason
Whitworth made a name for himself throughout his 16-year career as being one of the best left tackles in the game. So, Parsons working alongside him to help him get past the opposing offensive tackle at the end of the defensive line is a huge plus for him.
Parsons tweeted out a photo of himself and Whitworth during their training session, thanking the Super Bowl 56 champion for the advice.
In fact, Whitworth spoke about working with Parsons during an appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show" on Friday. Whitworth said that he had been talking with Parsons since he entered the league and after practicing against him in joint practices during training camp in 2021. Whitworth revealed that Parsons invited him down to Austin, Texas and asked him to train with him.
"Obviously, you're going to have d-line coaches, you're going to have things you're going to learn from edge rush guys that you've been around," said Whitworth. "He's like 'but I have the mentality I want to practice against somebody who was really elite at being my opponent, and I want to get what's the feedback from that person. Why would he shoot his hands on this play or why would he jump me in this scenario?' So we watched a lot of tape of situational football. Three step, five step, the different drops quarterbacks take and why the tackle takes a certain set or uses his hands a certain way. It was really fun."
In just two seasons, Parsons has proven that he's one of the best pass rushers in the game. Parsons won the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2021 after recording 84 combined tackles (64 solo, 20 assisted), 30 quarterback hits, 20 tackles for loss and 13 sacks. This past season, Parsons put up 65 combined tackles (42 solo, 23 assisted), 26 quarterback hits, 13.5 sacks, and 13 tackles for loss. Parsons finished in second place behind Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers for Defensive Player of the Year.
Parsons has been great thus far. If he can play at an even higher level (which is seemingly impossible), the Cowboys have to be thrilled with that 2021 draft trade with the Philadelphia Eagles that had Parsons land to them at the No. 12 spot.