Tag: Micah Parsons

Is Micah Parsons playing today? Injury news update for Cowboys edge rusher

Here’s the latest status for the Cowboys’ Micah Parsons for Week 9 vs the Atlanta Falcons.

The Cowboys are now sitting under ,500, at 3-4 on the 2024 season, losers of two games in a row. The team came out of their bye week flat, and needed a fell-short fourth-quarter rally to make their game against the San Francisco 49ers a respectable effort.

Now, that same group is traveling to Atlanta in Week 9 to take on the Falcons and Kirk Cousins. Cousins, coming off an Achilles injury that submarined his 2023 season, has never been much of an escape artist, but he’s even more stationary this season. Unfortunately, the Cowboys haven’t been able to muster much of a pass rush this season. They notched just one sack against Snn Francisco and have just eight in their last four games.

Will they fare any better? It would certainly help if Micah Parsons were able to return from injury and course-correct his slow start to the season. But unfortunately, Parsons won’t have the opportunity to impact this week’s game.

Parsons was ruled out for a fourth consecutive contest as he is still dealing with a high-ankle sprain that knocked him out of the team’s Week 4 win over the New York Giants.

Parsons did not practice all week, and with Dallas entering the meat of their 2024 schedule, it’s a significant blow to their desire to right the ship. The Cowboys will return to AT&T Stadium next week, where they are 0-3 on the season, to face division rival Philadelphia.

With DeMarcus Lawrence and Marshawn Kneeland both on returnable IR, along with the season-ending preseason loss of Sam Williams, the pass rush is lacking significant punch, made worse by the free agent defections of Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler in the offseason.

Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs rank top NFL QBs, include Jayden Daniels, but not Dak Prescott

We’ve come a long way from eating turkey legs during the game.

Washington Commanders rookie quarterback has already put the NFL on notice. Daniels has been phenomenal through his first eight NFL games, leading Washington to a 6-2 record.

Everyone around the league, from players to coaches and media, acknowledges that Daniels is already one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks.

You can even include two rivals who haven’t even faced Daniels yet.

On a recent episode of “The Edge” with Micah Parsons, the Dallas Cowboys star was joined by cornerback Trevon Diggs. They discussed the NFL’s top passers. Both agreed that Daniels is already a top-10 quarterback.

But Diggs went a step further.

“Among the quarterbacks right now, I would definitely say he’s top 10,” Parson said of Daniels.

“Higher,” Diggs responded.

“You think he’s top five?” Parsons asked Diggs.

“For sure, who else you going to put in there?” Diggs responded.

This led Diggs to name his top five:

“I’m gonna go him (Daniels), (Patrick) Mahomes, Lamar (Jackson), Josh Allen, Jalen (Hurts) playing pretty good right now, too.”

Parsons then named other quarterbacks who belong high on the list: Jared Goff is a top-five quarterback right now,” he said.

The two teammates also named Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold.

Did you notice who they didn’t name? Teammate Dak Prescott.

Prescott isn’t playing well after signing a huge new contract, but we could also make the case for players like Joe Burrow and Kirk Cousins. However, you would think at least one of the two Dallas players would name Prescott, currently the NFL’s highest-paid quarterback.

Here’s the full episode:

Remember when Prescott and his teammates were eating turkey legs on the sideline during last Thanksgiving’s blowout win over the Commanders? Now, these franchises are heading in completely different directions, with Washington atop the NFC East and Dallas just ahead of the last-place Giants.

Cowboys stars Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs praise Dan Quinn

Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs still love Dan Quinn.

The ending of the Commanders’ 18-15 win over the Chicago Bears Sunday was the talk of the NFL. Every sports radio show and television show discussed the game, specifically, the play all day on Monday.

It was also a popular topic among other NFL players. In his latest edition of “The Edge,” Cowboys star linebacker Micah Parsons discussed the play with teammate Trevon Diggs. Both players spent the previous three seasons playing for current Washington head coach Dan Quinn, who was the Dallas defensive coordinator.

Parsons has never been shy about sharing his love for Quinn and the impact he’s made on his career.

After Parsons praised Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, Diggs turned the focus to Quinn.

“It’ll be about confidence, bro,” Diggs said. “Your coach putting that confidence in you, and he putting that battery in your back, you gonna go, every single time. You gotta have that coach that stands by you.”

Parsons then chimed in:

“And that’s who Dan represents,” Parsons said. “People don’t realize how high morale he had the team. The spirit he gave the defense. The energy, what he kinda gave all the players. Shark week, fight night, showing us boxing clips of MFers getting knocked out.”

Then Diggs says, “He had me ready to run through a wall; he’s just a genuine person.”

More from Parsons: “I see it from that Commanders team now.”

“Yeah, for sure,” Diggs said. “They don’t got like superstars, you know. But they play as a team. They play hard for one another. They look good.”

Quinn was criticized for the Cowboys’ playoff loss to the Packers in January. The defense was terrible. So was Dak Prescott, Mike McCarthy and the rest of the organization. It’s easy to forget that in his three years with Dallas, he was arguably the NFL’s top defensive coordinator.

Two of his former stars clearly still like and respect Quinn.

Trevon Diggs responds to firestorm over confronting Cowboys media member

Cowboys defender Trevon Diggs defended his actions while allowing there was an emotional factor to his response. | From @KDDrummondNFL

It wasn’t long after the end of the Cowboys’ 30-24 loss to the San Francisco 49ers; their fourth straight defeat at the hands of Kyle Shanahan, for the attention to change. That’s because following the game, CB Trevon Diggs was caught on camera, in uniform, confronting a member of the Dallas media. The TV sports anchor had posted a tweet during the game, questioning Diggs performance on a big play, and word had gotten back to Diggs.

In his regular one-on-one with teammate Micah Parsons on the latter’s Bleacher Report podcast, Diggs admits that he allowed emotions to get the better of him. However he is standing on business that what the media member was insinuating was incorrect.

It was.

Diggs was being called out for not wanting to tackle, but in reality it was one of his best career performances when it came to tackling. It’s no secret he has a reputation for not wanting to get involved in scrums, but that wasn’t the case this game. In fact, Diggs being in man coverage absolved him of the ire that had been put on him, and the way he pursued the play seemed to be in concert with what a secondary defender should do with a teammate in front of him.

He played at an angle to be the last line of defense while maintaining position to present an obstacle should TE George Kittle had cut back inside.

Of course with things going really bad in Dallas, none of that matters to a large part of the fanbase. When a media member draws attention to a player on a negative play, preconceived notions immediately win over. Most observers, including many media, don’t know the intricacies of how a player is supposed to respond on any given play.

But again, that ends up being irrelevant to the perception of how things transpired.

Is Rico Dowdle playing today? Cowboys-49ers inactives for Week 8

Some clarity to the suddenly crowded but still questionable Cowboys RB room. Week 8 inactives are announced. | From @KDDrummondNFL

Fans who were confused about the shares each running back would see after the elevation of Dalvin Cook got a bit of clarity Sunday afternoon, though not what they were expecting. Dallas’ leading rusher, Rico Dowdle, has been ruled out from the game after showing up to Levi Stadium with a bug.

That answers the crowded backfield question for now. Cook, Ezekiel Elliott, Deuce Vaughn and Hunter Luepke are all active for the Week 8 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.

As for the other sideline, as expected Deebo Samuel is going to try and play less than a week after checking out of the hospital from a bout with pneumonia.

Here’s a look at both team’s full inactives list.

Dallas Cowboys

RB Rico Dowdle (illness)
CB Caelen Carson (shoulder)
DE Micah Parsons (ankle)
QB Trey Lance (emergency QB3)
CB Andrew Booth Jr.
OT Matt Waletzko

San Francisco 49ers

QB Joshua Dobbs
WR Jauan Jennings
DL Kevin Givens
K Jake Moody
LB Jalen Graham
CB Rock Ya-Sin
OL Ben Bartch

Is Ezekiel Elliott playing today? Fantasy outlook for Cowboys RBs after Dalvin Cook added

A look at the Cowboys RB situation heading into Week 8’s SNF matchup with the San Francisco 49ers. | From @KDDrummondNFL

When teams report to training camps in late July, the prep window is locked in. 45 days after the first camp practice comes the regular season opener, setting a timeline for getting in football shape.

Dalvin Cook was given an extra 15 days to ramp up. Signed on August 28, the former Minnesota Viking second-round pick is set to make his Dallas Cowboys’ debut on Sunday night, 60 days after he was signed. Cook needed a little bit of extra seasoning after sitting on the sideline all offseason, not participating in OTAs or minicamps, waiting on the right opportunity to come along.

The extra time makes sense, given that in-season practice doesn’t offer the same number of reps as training camp, but now he’ll be part of the Cowboys’ crowded and questionable running back room, which shifts fantasy outlooks for a number of players, most notably Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle.

Neither back has logged a single special team’s snap on the 2024 season, which makes for an interesting dynamic. Cook has never played on special teams in his career. Elliott’s played under 10 snaps, all on kick returns, in his career.

Dowdle, a career backup until assuming RB1 duties this year, has an extensive history of playing teams, with almost 400 career snaps and 180 over the last two seasons.

But again, he’s been the lead back.

Elliott certainly holds the biggest question mark with Cook’s elevation.

Offensive snaps have been steady for Elliott save for a two-game lull in Week 3 and Week 4, when he totaled just 21 snaps. He’s seen between 21 and 29 snaps in each of the other four contests.

Elliott’s carries have returned to his average of around six per game, but he hasn’t totaled over 20 rushing yards since Week 1. He has only one target and no receptions over the last two weeks. It’s hard to see how he’s a viable play in fantasy this week.

There’s even a chance (because of the special teams factor) that Elliott is made inactive on Sunday.

Dowdle’s fantasy production has been fairly stable as an RB3 for PPR leagues. He had just 55 total yards in the blowout loss to the Lions in Week 6 before the bye, but that included five receptions. He had scored touchdowns in each of the two previous games, though he saw just 19 offensive snaps in Week 6.

Fans should likely hold off on playing any of the three backs in Week 8, especially since there aren’t any teams on a bye this week; regular starters should be available.

If one has to choose, taking a flyer on Cook just makes sense, as Dowdle hasn’t shown the ability to be a difference maker and the chasm between no Cook production and Dowdle’s season-best isn’t an earth-shattering one.

Is Micah Parsons playing today? Latest injury news on Cowboys edge rusher

Here’s the latest status for the Cowboys’ Micah Parsons for Week 8 vs. the San Francisco 49ers.

The Cowboys are coming out of their bye week, where they had a chance to lick their wounds after being demolished by Jared Goff and the Ben Johnson offense of the Detroit Lions. The creativity in scheme and concept, along with top-shelf offensive personnel was too much for a depleted defensive roster under the direction of Mike Zimmer.

Now, that same group is traveling to San Francisco in Week 8 to take on QB Brock Purdy and the Kyle Shanahan offense. Will they fare any better? It would certainly help if Micah Parsons were able to return from injury and course-correct his slow start to the season against a team that has defeated Dallas three times in a row, more thoroughly with each victory. But unfortunately, Parsons won’t have the opportunity to impact this week’s game.

Parsons was ruled out for a third consecutive contest as he is still dealing with a high-ankle sprain that knocked him out of the team’s Week 4 win over the New York Giants.

Parsons did not practice all week, and with Dallas entering the meat of their 2024 schedule, it’s a significant blow to their desire to right the ship after starting 3-3. The Cowboys will head to Atlanta next week to square off against Kirk Cousins and company, before returning to AT&T Stadium where they are 0-3 on the season to face division rival Philadelphia.

With DeMarcus Lawrence and Marshawn Kneeland both on returnable IR, along with the season-ending preseason loss of Sam Williams, the pass rush is lacking significant punch, made worse by the free agent defections of Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler in the offseason.

Dallas needs to generate pressure, somehow, to have a chance.

Cowboys superstar LB unlikely to play vs. 49ers in Week 8

Micah Parsons is likely out for Week 8 per Adam Schefter.

It appears the banged up San Francisco 49ers are going to avoid facing Dallas Cowboys superstar edge rusher Micah Parsons when the two teams face off Sunday night.

Parsons was a non-participant Wednesday and Thursday for the Cowboys, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the three-time All-Pro is unlikely to recover from his ankle injury in time to play Sunday night.

This is a significant deal for a 49ers offensive line that has struggled at times this season. It’s also helpful for quarterback Brock Purdy who has generated some pressures of his own by holding onto the football too long.

Without Parsons, Dallas may have to resort to more blitzing to generate pass rush which is something Purdy and the 49ers’ offense should be able to take advantage of.

Parsons had 21 pressures and only 1.0 sacks in four games before his injury. He had 40.5 in the three seasons prior to this one, including a career-high 14.0 last season.

Without Parsons and edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence, who is on IR with a foot injury, the Cowboys have relied on a rotating cast of pass rushers to provide pressure.

Interior lineman Osa Odighizuwa has 17 pressures to lead the non-Parsons and Lawrence Cowboys. Odighizuwa, edge rusher Chauncey Golston and linebacker Eric Kendricks all have two sacks each per Pro Football Focus.

With the 49ers dealing with a host of their own injuries on offense, they’ll take the reprieve of missing Dallas’s top edge rushers in Week 8.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

ESPN, former Cowboys criticisms about club culture sets Micah Parsons off

The conversation has once again turned to whether or not distractions are higher when playing for the Cowboys. | From @ArmyChiefW3

The bye week should have been a time for Dallas to reset and relax, yet the headlines generated by team owner Jerry Jones during their time off turned into a media circus. Fittingly, that sentiment was recently relayed by former players who believe the Dallas workplace came with “other stuff,” in an article published by Kayln Kahler of ESPN.

The specific ire? Stadium tours. Cowboys team headquarters, The Star in Frisco, offers tours of various varieties, in which attendees can run into players, coaches, and front office members. Kahler alleges to have spoken to several former players who voiced opinions on the subject, leading to current Cowboys star Micah Parsons weighing in.

Current Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz started the public conversation when he took a shot at his former team last March while talking to Pat McAfee and compared the environment to a zoo. Bengals rookie defensive tackle Justin Rodgers warned defensive end K.J. Henry, who signed with Dallas on October 1, about the random people walking around the team facility at any given time.

Dallas selected Rodgers in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL draft. After not making the initial 53-man roster, he opted to sign on the Bengals practice squad rather than remain with the Cowboys.

Instead of staying silent, Parsons, who is still on his rookie contract, opted to openly disagree. He’s not alone.

After the Cowboys’ loss to Detroit, Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis offered an interesting response to the distractions that come with playing for Dallas.

“Football players, we are some of the most mentally tough people in the world — supposedly. You challenge a man’s will every single snap. So if [the tours are] a problem, that’s going to carry on in other aspects of our game. So hopefully that’s not a problem.” – Jourdan Lewis

Many teams around the NFL offer facility tours, and almost all teams allow fans to attend training camp practices.

Jalon Walker earns recognition from NFL greats, SEC

UGA LB Jalon Walker earned praise from NFL legends and the SEC for his performance against the Texas Longhorns.

Georgia Bulldog linebacker Jalon Walker had an amazing game against the Texas Longhorns: eight tackles, three sacks and three tackles for loss. He was one of the biggest reasons Georgia upset the No. 1 Longhorns, 30-15. For his performance, he earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Thanks to this amazing performance, he received shoutouts from two legends at his position: J.J. Watt and Micah Parsons. Soon-to-be NFL Hall of Famer J.J. Watt took to X (formerly Twitter) to comment on Jalon Walker: “Jalon Walker having a hell of a 1st half for Georgia…” Walker recorded seven tackles and three sacks in the first half against Texas.

Dallas Cowboys All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons shouted Walker out on X as well. “Number 11 for Georgia (fire emojis),” said Parsons. Walker is looking very similar to Parsons, who was very disruptive during his time at Penn State and has 41 1/2 sacks in four seasons in the NFL.

Walker’s performance has been a long time coming from one of the best blitzing linebackers on Georgia’s roster. This is the first game he has had a sack since Week 1 against Clemson, when he had 1 1/2 sacks.

Walker has generated a large number of pressures on the season, and he’s played with a ton of confidence and swagger this year. Last year, he led the team in sacks with five. This year is looking like another great season for him, which could lead him to joining Parsons as first-round NFL draft pick.