Micah Parsons talks about his promising Cowboys debut

Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons played his first NFL snaps on Thursday night during the Hall of Fame game. The No. 12 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft stepped between the lines for the first time in almost two years and gave fans a glimpse at his bright future.

“To be able to step out here, I came a long way from 2019 when I played my last game,” Parsons said after the game. “I know it’s going to be a long year and they’re telling me to slow down, but I’m ready to go right now.”

The extended wait

Parsons opted out of the 2020 season at Penn State due to concerns surrounding COVID-19. His last live action was on Dec. 28, 2019, during a 53-39 Cotton Bowl win over Memphis. He finished that game with 14 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and two pass deflections.

He was the first linebacker taken in the draft and second among players who opted out the previous season. Despite the time off, Parsons says he did not feel any additional pressure to perform after more than 17 months away from the field.

“I really wasn’t that nervous, I was telling someone, was more nervous for my college games than I was this game,” said Parsons. “I don’t know, maybe it’s because when you go against guys like CeeDee, Zeke and Tony in practice, it makes things a lot more easy when you come out here.”

Playing up to expectations

Micah Parsons only played part of the first quarter during the Hall of Fame game for the Cowboys, but he finished with three tackles and a fumble recovery. The fumble recovery on Thursday was a gift more than a takeaway, but it counts on the stat sheet just the same.

“I actually had a fumble recovery my first game in college, so I like the trend that’s going on right now,” said Parsons. “Now I feel like I can just use those two series to build on, get ready to play the scrimmage on Saturday and get ready to play next Friday, too.”

Any comparison between Parsons’ college career and his professional trajectory will excite the Cowboys. He won the Butkus-Fitzgerald award for best linebacker and was named a consensus All-American in 2019. Parsons finished his two-year Penn State career with 191 tackles, seven sacks, five pass deflections and six forced fumbles.

Image courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images