Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons recently went through an MRI on his back last Friday. The news from the MRI had been encouraging. Results were “pretty clean.” Parsons has been going through a lot of health issues in the past year after having initially broken a bone in his knee during practice on July 28. He was prescribed a recovery period of four to six weeks. That led to uncertainty about his availability for the 2023 season.
Parsons’ first portrayal of issues with back tightness came at the minicamp three thousand miles away in June. His recent preemptive absence from a game while negotiations for a contract extension continue has only fueled passions and speculation about his health. On social media throughout this offseason, Parsons provided a peek behind the curtain as his home base got shaken up ahead of that 2022 matchup. This unexpected appearance shocked many fans and alarmed team leadership.
Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer addressed Parsons’ situation in a press conference, stating, “Without talking to Micah, I need to figure out what he was doing and why he was doing it.” Schottenheimer will be in touch with Parsons on Sunday to, among other things, help assess his current condition and level of recovery. He said the team’s first priority is judging Parsons’ conditioning and movement during these next practices.
Anytime you’ve got guys who have missed some time, there’s a ramp-up, there’s a buildup period, Schottenheimer said, as all the team members are on record as saying that Parsons’ return would have to be closely managed. Schottenheimer sounded optimistic that Parsons will be ready for the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on September 4. He remarked that Parsons will be “a bit like with Trevon, trending in the right direction.”
The Cowboys have begun the process of building their 53-man roster. They will have one eye on Parsons’ fate as they make their final tweaks to their roster. Schottenheimer mentioned the depth of talent at defensive end, stating, “I think [defensive end] is an area that we’re pretty deep.” That depth should be a huge relief for the team as they work through any possible setbacks with Parsons’ recovery.
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