Micah Parsons’ buddies on the Dallas offensive line are suddenly game-planning against him

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.”

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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