The Dallas Cowboys have several question marks on their roster, but one area there is no reason for concern is in the trenches on both sides of the ball
Dallas has the best offensive guard duo in the NFL, and they also have the league’s best duo along the defensive line.
The Cowboys have perennial All-Pro Micah Parsons, arguably the best defender in football, and four-time Pro Bowler DeMarcus Lawrence, who was an All-Pro in 2017.
MORE: Dallas Cowboys have NFL’s best offensive guard duo, per PFF
Parsons and Lawrence are tasked with pressuring opposing teams’ quarterbacks, and according to Pro Football Focus, they do so better than anyone else in the NFL.
“Competition is fierce here. One could make a strong case for either Myles Garrett and Za’Darius Smith of the Cleveland Browns, or T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith of the Pittsburgh Steelers to be in the top spot,” Gordon McGuinness of PFF writes.
“Parsons earned a 93.7 PFF pass-rushing grade in 2023, racking up 106 quarterback pressures from 532 pass-blocking snaps. Opposite him, Lawrence posted a 79.3 PFF pass-rushing grade and was a phenomenal run defender, trailing only in PFF run-defense grade (92.2).”
Parsons, who was drafted with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, has never recorded fewer than 13 sacks in a single season.
The 25-year-old former NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year has been named to the Pro Bowl and received All-Pro honors in each of his first three seasons in the league. He enters his fourth year with 213 tackles, 40.5 sacks, 7 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, and one interception.
Lawrence, meanwhile, has recorded 58.5 sacks throughout his career. The 32-year-old joined the Cowboys as a second-round pick out of Boise State in the 2014 NFL Draft.
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