Cowboys defensive star Micah Parsons gets reps in at running back

I truly admire the confidence level of Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons. He is one of the most talented defenders in the league and he’s versatile at that. While he recorded 36 solo tackles, 14 sacks, and one forced fumble at the linebacker position last year, this season he’s going to be lining up as a defensive end, where he’ll surely excel as well.

Parsons the running back?

But did you know that Parsons also used to be a running back? He was in fact the star running back at his high school in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. With Dallas’ running back depth severely and alarmingly thin, maybe, just maybe...Parsons could line up at running back this season, too?

Yeah, it’s pretty far-fetched, but Parsons thought it wasn’t such a bad idea and begged the team to give him a shot. Here’s how that went:

Yes, head coach Mike McCarthy allowed Parsons to take some carries at running back during a walkthrough practice. Afterwards, McCarthy said, “That was a terrible mistake by the head coach. I don’t know what he was thinking.” He then added, “And I didn’t like his reads, either.’’

Parsons, of course, had jokes of his own in defense.

“Has Mike ever played running back in his life?’’ Parsons asked. “Someone who has never played the position can’t question somebody’s reads. That’s where we’re going with that.’’

Jokes aside, does Parsons really think he’d be a good addition on the offensive side of the ball? It’s hard to tell if he’s joking or not, but he seems to think that he would. He has said that he intends on asking Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to be a part of the offense when he’s nearing the end of his career at around age 30.

“I’m going to say, ‘I’m either playing offense or I’m going to retire, Jerry. I’m at that end of the road. I’m either living my dream or I’m not anymore.’ So when I’m 30 I might finally get my carry or I might play tight end like big Witt [Jason Witten]. I can block, too. I can do it all,” said Parsons. “I think on my way out of here, I’ll get my offensive dreams.’’

And in case you’re wondering, Parsons does intend on staying in Dallas for the rest of his NFL career if he can. But for now, let’s just stick with lining him up on defense for a bit.