Micah Parsons' rookie season was one for the record books. He was a shoo-in for the Defensive Rookie of the Year and received 50 votes for DPOY but lost out to T.J. Watt.
During an interview with USA Today, Parsons set some high expectations for himself and Trevon Diggs heading into their second season together in Dallas. When asked if he and Diggs are the best defensive duo in the league, Parsons says they're too young and still make mistakes, but he believes that once they get things figured out, they can eventually become as good if not better than Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey.
"It's hard to say we're the best because I know we're young and we still make mistakes," Parsons told Jori Epstein of USA Today. "It's hard to put us over Aaron Donald, the greatest defensive player in history, with Jalen Ramsey.
"So I won't do it yet. But I think we can become them or even better if we learn together and stick together."
A lofty goal for sure. Donald is a lock for the Hall of Fame entering his ninth season, having racked up 98 career sacks and 150 total tackles for loss while winning three DPOY awards and winning a ring after beating the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. Ramsey, meanwhile, has been considered the best lockdown corner ever since he entered the NFL.
Although he's setting the bar high in 2022, Parsons and Diggs did have a great first year together in Big D. Parsons was the undisputed Defensive Rookie of the Year, breaking the Cowboys' rookie sack record with 13 and terrorizing defenses across the league. As for Diggs, he lead the NFL in interceptions with 11 picks -- the highest total recorded since the 1980s.
This wasn't the only bold statment Parsons made this offseason. In an interview with CBS Sports, the Pro Bowl LB thinks is also aiming to break the sack record in 2022, which is still currently held by Michael Strahan at 22.5.
"15's like the minimum. 15's what I wanna hit. But definitely, 23 is that goal, to break the record."
Despite low expectations for the Cowboys heading into 2022, if Diggs and Parsons can come even close to matching Donald and Ramsey's production, Dallas could be in a good spot to make the postseason for the second straight season.
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