Dallas Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons offered a pretty bold take about one of his fellow stars in light of some controversy over the NFL Defensive Player of the Year vote.
Parsons appeared on CBS Sports Radio’s “Zach Gelb Show” on Friday and was shockingly dismissive of Pittsburgh Steelers star TJ Watt. Parsons argued that Myles Garrett’s presence on the field is more dominant than Watt’s, and that he does not even consider Watt to be a top five pure pass rusher based on stats.
Micah Parsons doesn't believe TJ Watt is a top-5 pure pass rusher in football. @CBSSportsRadio @MicahhParsons11 @_TJWatt 👀 pic.twitter.com/GVBlG1EXGC
— Zach Gelb (@ZachGelb) February 9, 2024
“If you look at the Titans game alone, no offense, but TJ played the Titans. Did you see two tight ends following TJ Watt?” Parsons said. “People can say whatever they want, but at the end of the day, the film does not lie. (Garrett’s) presence is way more dominant than TJ Watt, and that’s just the reality of it.”
Host Zach Gelb then asked Parsons to rank the five best pass rushers in the NFL. Parsons named himself, Garrett, Maxx Crosby, and Nick Bosa, and did not include Watt.
“Look at the stats. The stats don’t lie,” Parsons asserted. “Alex Highsmith, I think, had a better pass rush rate and a more double team rate than TJ Watt.”
Parsons made clear he has no personal beef with Watt, but was simply looking at the numbers. It is worth noting that, according to ESPN’s metrics, Watt tied for fourth in pass rush win rate, though Garrett is correct that Watt was double teamed much less frequently than most of his peers.
Garrett may not mean anything personally in his criticism, but Watt certainly might use it as fuel. As for the Defensive Player of the Year award, it went to Garrett over Watt, a decision that Parsons clearly supports.
