Versatility at an all time high
For seven seasons under Rod Marinelli (and Monte Kiffin), the Cowboys defense operated under a very strict scheme with squarely defined roles for each position. Since Quinn has taken over, though, versatility has become the ideal to strive towards. Entering 2023, Quinn’s defense is as versatile as ever, which is why we have to group things more broadly by the front seven rather than defensive line and linebackers.
Micah Parsons is a big reason why, too. He’s a linebacker who primarily rushes the passer but can line up anywhere on the field, and literally has. It’s not just Parsons, though. Chauncey Golston entered the league as an EDGE and is now playing more inside; rookie Viliami Fehoko is expected to hold a similarly flexible role to Golston; DeMarcus Lawrence and Dorance Armstrong have seen a rapid increase of different alignments over the years; and even Isaac Alarcón has switched to the defensive line after playing offensive line the last three years.
https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/202...-lawrence-leighton-vander-esch-defensive-line
Micah Parsons’ more specified role
Speaking of Parsons, there are questions about his role this year and how Quinn plans to deploy him. As a rookie, Parsons lined up as a traditional off-ball linebacker on roughly 55% of his snaps and dropped down to the line of scrimmage on 40% of his snaps. That changed drastically last year, with Parsons on the line of scrimmage nearly 81% of the time.
Then Parsons made a comment in the offseason about Quinn wanting to move him to the defensive line full-time, thus prompting a change in workout routines for the star pass rusher. You won’t find many people complaining about Parsons getting even more pass rush reps, but it’s certainly going to be interesting to see just how Quinn decides to use him.
