Micah Parsons' status and eventual return to the Green Bay Packers is something all fans are keeping an eye on. GM Brian Gutekunst has chimed in on the star edge rusher and given fans some hopeful updates.
Speaking to Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, Gutekunst was asked about Parsons amid his ongoing recovery from a torn ACL last year, and whether he thinks Parsons will be the same player he was before the injury.
"I have a lot of confidence," said Gutekunst. "We've seen so many guys come back from these ACLs before and play at such a high level. He's a young guy, he's a little bit of a genetic freak, those guys tend to do very well. That's certainly our expectation."
Parsons' recovery has been a major topic of discussion throughout the offseason. Both Parsons and the Packers have been adamant that he won't practice until nine months after his surgery. As that date nears, Parsons remains on the Packers' PUP list, meaning he can't play for the team's first four games.
As we wait for more word, Gutekunst's latest comments seem to suggest that Parsons' return could be ahead of schedule, or at least ahead of the more pessimistic schedule some fans had for him.
Packers could get Micah Parsons back sooner than initially expected
Gutekunst already hinted that Parsons might be practicing before then, and further hinted to Dougherty that the All-Pro might be ready closer to the end of his stay on the PUP list than fans think.
"We'll see. He's going to be down the first four because of the [physically-unable-to-perform] rules, but we'll see once we get out of that time where he's at," said Gutekunst when it was mentioned that Parsons would be out for six to eight weeks.
When asked whether Parsons could return sooner than six weeks, Gutekunst said that he wouldn't rule it out.
It's one thing for Gutekunst to hint that Parsons wants to play, but the fact that he might actually be able to return that early could change the outlook of the team's early games.
He is guaranteed to miss the first four games against the Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the Packers play the Chicago Bears in Week 5 and the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6.
Of course, there are some risks as well. Parsons coming back too soon is great on paper, but he has to make sure that he's perfectly ready before doing so. Thankfully, he and the team aren't likely to rush him back, so if he does end up coming back earlier than we think, it's safe to assume both parties have agreed it's for the best.
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