When discussing the Dallas Cowboys' free agency approach in 2024, superstar edge rusher Micah Parsons didn't hesitate to throw the company line to media members, claiming he understood with the big contracts coming up for the franchise made things financially complicated for the front office.
Instead, he pointed toward the mindset of the team having enough talent, emphasizing the team had multiple All-Pros in 2023. The Cowboys had nine including the second-team. Additionally, Parsons believes there will be more All-Pro honors headed Dallas' way in the future.
He specifically mentioned two players he expects to take All-Pro jumps in 2024.
"We've got at least three (other) guys I know can be All-Pro, I think (Jake) Ferguson can be All-Pro, I think a lot of guys are going to have breakout years," Parsons told reporters during mandatory minicamp earlier this month. "Tyler Smith I think will be a first-team All-Pro this year."
Although Smith would specifically need a first-team designation to take that "jump" considering he's already a second-team All-Pro, Ferguson has yet to receive the highly-sought-after honor entering his third year in the NFL.
It's the latter that will receive the majority of attention from the fans as the fan favorite Ferguson will need to outperform some of the most famous play-making names in the league to receive the recognition. Last year, George Kittle was named First-Team All-Pro with 1,020 receiving yards with Sam LaPorta coming in second with 889.
Ferguson wasn't terribly off that mark, recording 761 yards despite having more catches than Kittle. Perhaps Ferguson's biggest challenge to beat his rivals in the position race will be CeeDee Lamb's high target rate as he continues to evolve as one of the best wideouts in the game.
Does Tyler Smith have a better shot at First-Team All-Pro?
Now that he's solely focused on preparing to play guard and seems to have left the left tackle/position flex days behind him, Smith might take a big jump in 2024 after being named to the second-team All-Pro in 2023.
Keep in mind, Smith handled Aaron Donald, Jalen Carter, and many of the top DTs in the league with ease. You could easily argue that he outplayed none other than Zack Martin.
His technique has improved a whole lot since joining the Cowboys and is surely trending upward. He's undoubtedly one of the top All-Pro candidates in the entire league.
