Micah Parsons comments on if he's the most destructive player in NFL

There’s little doubt that Micah Parsons is among the best defensive players in the NFL right now. But when he was asked if he believes he’s the most destructive player in the league, the Cowboys linebacker didn’t provide much of an answer.

“I’m not going to answer that. I’m just going to let the people answer that,” he said, per Jon Machota of The Athletic. “Let me know what y’all think. See what I face and what other guys face, y’all tell me.”

Is Cowboys DE/LB Micah Parsons the most destructive player in the NFL right now?

Parsons: "I'm not going to answer that. I'm just going to let the people answer that. Let me know what y'all think. See what I face and what other guys face, y'all tell me."

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) September 18, 2023

Parsons has already lived up to the hype early in his NFL career. The former Penn State standout is a two-time Pro Bowl selection and has earned a pair of first-team All-Pro honors in his first two seasons.

In 2021, Parsons was named the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year. He’s currently a critical piece of a Cowboys defense that has been downright nasty through two weeks. Dallas pitched a shutout in a 40-0 win over the New York Giants in Week 1.

On Sunday, the Cowboys surrendered just 10 points in a 30-10 victory over the New York Jets. In those two contests, Parsons has racked up seven tackles, three sacks, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble.

Micah Parsons laid out expectations for Cowboys defense

Before the season started, Parsons set the bar high for the Cowboys defense in 2023. The third-year linebacker wanted Dallas to level up on that side of the football.

“I’m trying to be on that Ray Lewis defense. I’m trying to hold teams under 10 points,” Parsons said on The Pivot Podcast in the offseason. “(If opponents) don’t score 10 points, we win the game. … We gotta hold teams under 10 points.”

So far, so good. Dallas kept the Giants scoreless in Week 1 and held the Jets to just 10 points on Sunday. Through two games, the Cowboys are allowing just five points per game while scoring 35 per contest. That’s going to win a lot of football games.

Dallas’ defense wasn’t bad last season, but Parsons saw plenty of room for improvement.

“I think there was another level that we could’ve tapped in,” Parsons said. “We missed interceptions. We missed opportunities to get the ball back to our offense. They probably could’ve capitalized.”

The Cowboys are off to a 2-0 start and look like true Super Bowl contenders. Next Sunday, Dallas travels to Arizona to play the Cardinals. Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. ET and the game airs on FOX.