Micah Parsons sends loud and clear message to Matt Eberflus right before camp

If there is one silver lining to the Dallas Cowboys failing to sign Micah Parsons before training camp, it's that Parsons doesn't need a full camp to be ready for the regular season. He has already proven to be elite and former defensive stars like Aaron Donald (2017) and T.J. Watt (2021) both went on to win Defensive Player of the Year after holding out in training camp.

Parsons' relationship with new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus will play a big role in that. Well, the two-time All-Pro may have a good idea of how he wants to be utilized under Eberflus.

Speaking on behalf of Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu in NFL Network's Top 100 countdown, Parsons praised Dan Quinn's system and how it allowed him to move around the line of scrimmage.

"That Dan Quinn system, I miss them days being off the ball and you get them one-on-ones on the back ...," Parsons said.

Luvu is a traditional off-ball linebacker who excels at rushing the passer. He might be the best pass-rushing linebacker in football. Because of that, Quinn can get more creative with Luvu relative to Parsons, who has transitioned to a full-time EDGE the last three seasons.

Luvu reaped the benefits of Quinn's system en route to being named a second-team All-Pro in his first year with the Commanders.

It is clear that Parsons wants to be move around more than he was under Mike Zimmer. Parsons played just 38 snaps in the box last season compared to 588 outside the opposing offensive tackle, per Pro Football Focus. He played 108 snaps in the box under Quinn in 2023. While Parsons missed four games with a high-ankle sprain last year, his role under Zimmer was crystal clear.

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It is worth noting that Parsons played more snaps lined up as a DT under Zimmer (17) than Quinn in 2023 (12), but the above clip shows how much he enjoys playing off the ball.

Eberflus understands that Parsons is most effective from the EDGE position, but he has already stated a desire to be creative with the 26-year-old.

"We had a meeting—him and I had about a half-hour meeting yesterday on that very subject, just him and I in my office," Eberflus told the Doomsday Podcast a few weeks ago. "And for him, you have to move this guy around. Now, what's great about our current roster is that we have other rushers now that can rush. So to pay attention to one particular rusher is going to be more difficult than if you just had one on one side. That's going to be a good thing, too"

Hopefully Eberflus' puts those words into action. While Parsons is too elite at rushing the passer to play as much off the ball as he'd like, he is also too talented and impactful to be shoehorned into one role within a defense.