Micah Parsons will begin the year for the Green Bay Packers on the sidelines. Various predictions and reports hinted that he wouldn't return until around Week 8, but according to a new update, he could be cleared sooner than that.
Parsons starts the regular season on the PUP list (physically unable to perform) and, as a result, will miss the Packers' opening four contests. While we knew Parsons would be out for the first quarter of the season, what we didn't know was when exactly Parsons might return. While it still remains up in the air, we did get some clarity on that this week.
On Tuesday, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst spoke to the media after solidifying the 53-man roster and practice squad. Gutekunst was asked about Parsons' status and hinted that Micah could be ready to practice much earlier than many may have thought.
According to a new rule in the NFL this year, players on the PUP can have their practice window open up after Week 2, and Parsons might fit into that window.
"I imagine when that time comes, there's going to be some conversations about things in what he can and can't do," said Gutekunst of Parsons practicing. "Because he's going to be really eager to get out there. That's the one thing I think, I guess it doesn't shock me at all, obviously, but these guys want to play. They're unhappy when they're not playing. They want to be out there with their teammates, they want to be competing."
Gutekunst added that if Parsons is able to practice that early, once his four-week window opens, he would theoretically be "pretty close" to getting on the field.
"We have a pretty good idea," Gutekunst added, "that once we get out of that four-game window we're going to be pretty close. As you guys have heard me say, I'm going to be pretty cautious with that. We've got a big investment there. He's really important to what we're trying to do, and to accomplish the goals we want to late in the year, he's going to need to be at his best. So I want to make sure that happens, but he's eager."
Why the Packers shouldn't (and won't) rush Micah Parsons back too soon
That would suggest Parsons could return by around Week 6, but the Packers shouldn't rush it. And they won't.
The idea that Parsons could begin practicing as early as the Packers' third game week is a surprising one. Just last month, Parsons himself seemed to suggest that it was more realistic that he'd be back sometime during the middle of the year.
However, in an Instagram story on Tuesday, he shared an older photo of himself in a full Packers uniform in the locker room, and simply captioned it: "Loading..."
Without reading too much into it, it seems like Parsons is at least preparing for his eventual practice date sooner rather than later.
With that being said, there is some risk to it.
Parsons coming back earlier than expected would obviously be a huge boon to the Packers' defense and team overall. However, as Gutekunst said, they want Parsons around for a while, and allowing him to take his time would be the safest approach, even if it means he misses a few extra games.
The good thing about all of this is that the Packers will likely let Parsons back exactly when he's ready to. The team has a history of being conservative with its medical analysis, and Parsons himself said there is a strict nine-month rule against practicing post-surgery in place.
If the team and his doctors believe him to be ready closer to the end of those nine months, then it'd be great. But if not, then the team is still happy to let Parsons return when he feels he is at his readiest.
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