Micah Parsons' buddies on the
Dallas offensive line are suddenly game-planning against him
[September 27, 2025]
By SCHUYLER DIXON
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Micah Parsons celebrated signing the lucrative
contract extension that accompanied his trade to the Green Bay
Packers with several of his suddenly former teammates with the
Dallas Cowboys.
Standout left guard Tyler Smith was among them, and now he's one of
five starters preparing to block Parsons in a game, something each
of them has done in practice during all or part of the previous four
years.
The new experience comes Sunday night when the Packers (2-1) visit
the Cowboys (1-2) exactly a month after the deal, which led to
Parsons signing a $188 million, four-year extension that made him
the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
“I think we have an intimate understanding of who he is, where he
wants to be,” Smith said. “It definitely helps just in terms of game
planning, understanding the way he wants to attack you.”
One thing the Dallas linemen don't know is Parsons' trash talk on
game day.
“There's always practice chirps,” said Brock Hoffman, a talker
himself who will make a second consecutive start in place of injured
center Cooper Beebe (foot). “But I don't know. We'll find out
Sunday.”
Ditto for Smith, who was the starting left tackle as a rookie in
2022 and spent a lot more practice time worrying about Parsons.
“We’ll see if he talks,” Smith said. “We’ll see what he says.”
Surely there will be at least some friendly chatter.
“There wasn’t a guy I wasn’t helping out,” Parsons said of his
now-opposing offensive linemen. “I was being a mentor and voice for
all of ’em and they know that, just the relationships. I came in
with all of ’em m and I took ’em under my wing, so (they're) like
brothers to me always.”
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The Cowboys will face Parsons and NFL sacks leader
Rashan Gary, who has 4 1/2 this season, without Beebe and rookie
first-round draft Tyler Booker, the right guard who is likely out
multiple weeks with a high ankle sprain.
Right tackle Terence Steele is the veteran of a young group, in his
sixth season. Tyler Guyton, a first-round pick last year, is at left
tackle. He struggled as a rookie and was in and out of the lineup as
a result. The spotlight will be on both with Parsons in town so soon
after Dallas traded its best player.
“I don’t want to say every team has a player like that because he’s
certainly an elite player and unique and all that,” said first-year
offensive coordinator Klayton Adams, whose background is coaching
offensive lines. “We go into most of these games having to try to
figure out how you’re going to block so-and-so. I don’t know that
it’s that different with him than it is with a lot of the great,
elite pass rushers out there.”
Smith was drafted 24th overall in the first round a year after the
Cowboys selected Parsons 12th, which helps explain why they're so
close. It's safe to say Smith never thought he'd be game-planning
against one of the league's best rushers.
“Definitely not,” Smith said. “I guess the league really teaches you
that anything can happen. It’s just about being ready for anything.”
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