3 of PFF’s 2024 top-5 graded pass rushers could all have a star on their helmet next season

One of my favorite parts of the NFL season is when it’s finally over. Let me explain.

Yes, there are moments of despair, knowing meaningful football is seven months away, but there are some perks to the end of the season.

I love to watch all the stats, grades, and obscure accomplishments that get announced once the Super Bowl has been played.

We live in a world of analytics, and one of the best resources for these analytics is Pro Football Focus. It’s that time of year for PFF to release season grades, and one graphic today caught my eye.

PFF released its grades for the top five pass rushers in the NFL for the 2024 season.

Dallas Cowboys EDGE Micah Parsons sticks out first to me. That classic silver helmet with the navy star always rises above the rest.

Of the other four names on the graphic with Parsons, there is a real possibility that two of them could don that classic Cowboys helmet next season.

The Lion Needs Some Allies

The Dallas Cowboys suffered a litany of injuries in 2024. Those injuries proved catastrophic, and can carry a heavy burden of blame for the 7-10 finish to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

Even Micah Parsons himself missed four games with an ailment of his own, and the Cowboys defense suffered for it.

Micah came back with a vengeance, notching 11.0 of his 12.0 sack total over the course of the final nine weeks, putting him into double digit sacks for each of his first four seasons.

However, too many times we saw Micah get gassed by the end of the game by constantly dealing with double and sometimes triple-teams from opposing offensive linemen. Perhaps some talented free agents turned Cowboys could alleviate some of the pressure.

Micah himself knows this, and that’s why he was so vocal on his podcast a couple of days ago, stating that he doesn’t want to sit back and watch other teams attack free agency to bolster their roster.

He wants the Cowboys to be aggressive in acquiring talent for a Super Bowl run in 2025. There are two players on that graphic along with Parsons that could wear a star on their helmet next season.

Myles Garrett

This is the least likely of the two to end up on the Cowboys roster. Garrett announced via his Instagram a few weeks ago that he is seeking a trade out of Cleveland, hoping to land on a roster to compete for a championship.

To acquire Garrett, the Cowboys would have to trade for him. There are a few things that could help them make that move.

Garrett is a Texas native. He played his high school days at James Martin High School in Arlington, Texas, just a stone’s throw away from AT&T Stadium before attending college a little further south at Texas A&M College Station.

Also helping Dallas (and other teams) is the fact that Garrett himself initiated the process to get out of Cleveland. It means the Browns don’t have the leverage in these negotiations, and may be forced to take a more moderate offer in exchange for the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

DT Milton Williams

Acquiring Milton Williams won’t be as much red tape as Garrett, but it might be just as unlikely. Williams is a Super Bowl champion, and part of the defensive line that just sacked Patrick Mahomes six times.

Williams had two of those sacks, and countless pressures on the biggest stage. He is a free agent, but knowing how the Cowboys attack free agency, will they even take a look at him?

He is in for a big payday. Williams set personal records in 2024 for sacks (5.0) and quarterback hits (10), and pass rushing defensive tackles who can also defend the run are always in high demand.

I’m not saying it’s likely that the Cowboys can pull off even one, much less two, of these big offseason moves, but it would be pretty cool if they did.