It seemed like the world stopped when news broke that the Green Bay Packers had acquired Micah Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys—finally, an answer to the less-than-average Packers pass rush. Parsons now has his best shot yet at achieving the one goal that has eluded him: to lead the NFL in sacks.
Of course, not everything is sunshine and rainbows. Parsons came to the Packers with a back injury that could make his first few weeks, if not the season (back injuries being as tricky as they are), more of a struggle than initially expected. And though he’s certainly an elite player, there are still a few items Parsons needs to add to his resume.
It’s true that no edge rusher has more pressures over the past three seasons than Parsons, just as it’s true that Parsons has been consistently elite since day one in the NFL. For all the awards and accolades, however, there is one thing Parsons didn’t do with the Cowboys despite all of those pressures, which is to lead the NFL in sacks.
Can Packers deliver Micah Parsons the crown the Cowboys couldn't?
ESPN’s Benjamin Solak believes the wait is over for Parsons to cross that goal off his list. He predicted in a recent article that Parsons would, in fact, lead the NFL in sacks this season.
“He just hasn't had that one spike season yet,” Solak wrote. “A new environment in Green Bay is as good a time as any to get there.”
Across his four seasons in the league, Parsons has averaged 14.2 sacks per 17 games despite missing five games in his career and never topping 14 sacks in a single season. His career high of 14 in 2023 would only be good enough to tie one league leader in the past 40 years, Kevin Greene in 1994.
Parsons’ steady averages are still the mark of an elite player. After all, his current average season would have him finish in the top five of sacks all time, as the standings currently sit. But we are talking about the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. Even if Parsons' average is elite, it’s time for him to make a statement against the Myles Garretts and T.J. Watts of the league.
Over the past 10 seasons, excluding 2020, the average NFL sack leader tallies 18.6 sacks. The lowest mark was Vic Beasely in 2016 with 15.5. Still, last season, only one player had more than 14 sacks, Trey Hendrickson with 17.5.
With that in mind, 18 sacks is the target number to confidently have a shot at leading the league, which means averaging a bit over one sack per game for Parsons. It sounds doable, especially if Rashan Gary can keep attention opposite of Parsons and the Packers use Parsons’ versatility along multiple rush lanes.
Still, his back injury lingers, and Packers fans won’t have a real idea of just how serious it is until Week 1 is said and done. But getting after Jared Goff early with a sack or two would put him right on track to finally reach the goal that eluded him for four seasons in Dallas.