Micah Parsons through his first five NFL seasons has 62.5 sacks. Let us compare that to every great Cowboys pass rusher.
DeMarcus Ware: 117 career sacks as a Cowboy over 9 seasons. His first 5 seasons: 52.5 sacks. Parsons is ahead of Ware's pace by 10 full sacks at the same career point. Source: Pro Football Reference.
Harvey Martin: 114 career sacks (unofficial, pre-1982 tracking). Dominated the late 1970s. His peak seasons were comparable but the game was fundamentally different.
Charles Haley: 34.5 sacks in 4 Cowboys seasons. Hall of Famer but limited sample in Dallas.
Too Tall Jones: 106 unofficial career sacks over 15 seasons. More of a run defender than a pure pass rusher.
The argument for Parsons already being number two: Parsons' PFF pass rush grade has been above 90.0 in four of five seasons. Ware had three seasons above 90.0. The consistency of pressure generation — Parsons has a 22.4% pressure rate since entering the league per PFF — is historically elite.
The argument against: Ware did it for longer. Nine seasons of double-digit sacks. Parsons needs longevity to match that resume.
Current ranking:
- DeMarcus Ware
- Micah Parsons (and climbing)
- Harvey Martin
- Charles Haley
- Too Tall Jones
Sources:
- Pro Football Reference — career sack totals
- PFF — pass rush grades and pressure rates
- Dallas Cowboys official records