The Green Bay Packers landed Micah Parsons in a blockbuster deal on Thursday, nearly a month after he requested a trade from the Cowboys.
Parsons is expected to be an impact player for years to come in Green Bay, but there’s no guarantee that he suits up in Week 1 when the Packers host the Lions on Sunday, Sept. 7.
Micah Parsons missed almost all of training camp with the Cowboys, and he may need to work himself back into playing shape before he suits up with the Packers.
ESPN NFL analyst Damien Woody said earlier this week on Get Up that it would be “irresponsible” for the Cowboys to play Parsons in Week 1. The Packers may have that same mindset.
"I think it would be irresponsible for the Dallas Cowboys to put him out there, to be honest with you,“ Damien Woody said. ”I think if you’re truly trying to protect the player and do what’s in the best interest of the player, you don’t play him Week 1. We are literally nine days away.
“One thing you’ve gotta do… you have to be in football shape. The only way to be in football shape is by doing football things – being in pads, being in practice, building up those calluses within your body."
The Cowboys are opening the season this Thursday against the Eagles, while the Packers will not play until a few days later on Sunday. Even though Parsons will get a few extra days to get his body ready, it is still only 10 days from the day he was traded to Green Bay until the Packers’ season opener.
"We saw with Darrelle Revis, he came back from the holdout, he went out there, and what’s the first thing that happened? He pulled a hamstring,“ Woody said. ”It’s not about one game, it’s about 17 games for the Dallas Cowboys."
Obviously that reference now applies to the Packers, too.
Fellow ESPN analyst Harry Douglas added that he doesn’t believe Parsons can be at the top of his game if he plays in Week 1 of this year.
“Not the way Micah Parsons wants to play the football game, no. Not to be dominant and be that game-wrecker that we’ve seen him to be,” Douglas said on Get Up. “I also think it’s organizational malpractice if you sign this guy to a contract, if that gets done, four days before the Thursday night football game, and you say, ‘Hey, Micah, go out here and do what you do best.’
“I think you have to protect your investment, protect your player. But it’s also about the longevity. I think it would be irresponsible if they decide to do that.”
Again, Parsons is now with the Packers, but the same thought process may apply to Green Bay, too.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.