Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones appeared to take a jab at NFL referees for the limited amount of offensive holding penalties against edge rusher Micah Parsons in the last two months.
Parsons is a stickler for getting in the backfield, registering sacks and disrupting an opposing team’s offense. However, Parsons hasn’t drawn an offensive holding penalty since October.
While Jones doesn’t think the referees are trying to intentionally “limit” his All-Pro linebacker, he does believe that Parsons is being “restricted” from earning more sacks for the Cowboys’ defense.
“There’s no question that Micah [Parsons] is having restrictions that, if turned loose, would result in a sack of the quarterback,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday. “
Currently, Parsons has 13 sacks (tied for seven in the league), 27 solo tackles and one forced fumble this season. However, Jones believes Parsons’s impact in the ’23 campaign could be far greater if the referees were not being limited in their assessment of holding penalties.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on @1053thefan on Micah Parsons not drawing an offensive holding penalty since October:
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) December 26, 2023
“I don’t think the intent (by the refs) is to take a player of his skill and limit him. … There’s no question that Micah is having restrictions that if turned loose…
“They won’t call a holding penalty in a certain range of holding … usually if they don’t think the player would’ve gotten to the quarterback to begin with,” Jones said. “… That doesn’t work for Parsons because he’s about to get there almost all the time. Anything that just limits him should be a hold.”
As Jones believes Parsons is getting the shorthand of the stick in drawing penalties, it has been a different story for the Cowboys’ defense. After the Cowboys’ 22–20 loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 16, Parsons said it was “mind-blowing” the things that referees have penalized Dallas for.
The Cowboys (10–5) have already secured a playoff spot but sit one game behind the Philadelphia Eagles (11–4) for first place in the NFC East. Dallas will seek to rebound in Week 17 when it plays host to the Detroit Lions (11–4) on Saturday.
