During his offseason break, Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons is concentrating on increasing his body weight.
The linebacker is not participating in the team's voluntary exercises to achieve this objective.
Although Parsons' current weight is 245 pounds, he has claimed to have gained six extra pounds, weighing 251 pounds.
His aim is to be better prepared for the physical impacts that come with facing bigger offensive linemen play-in and play-out as he receives more snaps as a pass rusher.
"I'm trying to bulk up and just focus on me and my development, carrying that load," he said, via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
"It's hard battling 300-pound guys at 245 pounds every week. So, I'm just trying to put (on) five pounds of muscle. Just eating right and just living right."
According to Next Gen Stats, Parsons' pass rushing game has improved considerably since his rookie season.
In 2022, he aligned himself as an edge on 78.2% of snaps, compared to 39.8% in his rookie year, effectively making him a full-time pass rusher. His blitz rate in 2021 was 52.7%, while it increased to 85.8% in 2022.
Parsons has stated that his injuries during the 2022 season were due to the reps he took up front rather than off the ball.
He hopes that adding bulk this season will prevent these problems from resurfacing in 2023.
The 23-year-old aims to play full-time at edge this season to improve his focus.
Parsons has indicated that he intends to attend the Cowboys' OTAs, which are scheduled to begin on May 22.
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