Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons has fallen behind 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa in the betting odds for the NFL’s defensive player of the year award, but Dallas coach Mike McCarthy says Parsons is still his choice.
Asked to compare and contrast Parsons and Bosa as candidates for the title of best defensive player in the league, McCarthy had nothing but praise for Bosa but chose Parsons as the player he’d vote for.
“Well, I think he’s done so much so fast,” McCarthy said of Parsons. “I think he’s had that level of production for the season. He gets a tremendous amount of attention, he impacts the game even when it doesn’t show up on the stat chart. And no different for Nick Bosa. Having a chance to compete, those are the guys who keep you up a little later when you’re thinking about protection, third down, situational football. And I think the biggest thing too for Micah is his ability to – a couple of those scrambles the past week, the way he closes down and runs down a quarterback. He can make plays all over the field. You look at the play he made against Detroit. Impact player at an elite level and makes everyone around him better.”
Bosa probably has the award wrapped up at this point, but Parsons, who’s just 23 years old, has a good chance to win the award some day.