Tag: Micah Parsons

Cowboys vs Steelers: Diggs added to injury report, dehydration makes appearance with Elliott

Adding Diggs to a growing list of hobbled star players is not the way to trend when prepping for a rival. | From @KDDrummondNFL

Full disclosure is a wonderful thing, but it’s still a bit striking in certain scenarios. NFL teams have been tasked with being more specific when it comes to their injury reports in recent years. Surely it has nothing to do with the league opening their arms to the gambling communities, right?

Regardless, more details are important and in that vein, Thursday’s injury report for the Cowboys and Steelers rivalry renewal in Week 5 has that level of specificity. A couple Dallas starters have appeared after not being a concern on Wednesday, namely CB Trevon Diggs (ankle), LT Tyler Guyton (shoulder) and RB Rico Dowdle (wrist). But the twist is two players were limited due to dehydration.

Of course that happens all of the time in the NFL; it’s a grueling sport that pushes participants to the absolute limit. It’s just a unique designation that hasn’t been witnessed too often (if at all) before in these parts. That was attached to both running back Ezekeil Elliott and rookie WR Ryan Flournoy, who expects to be activated for the first time due to Brandin Cooks’ knee issue.

Diggs will be something to monitor. Dallas has been without All-Pro DaRon Bland and he has yet to have his 21-day practice window activated. Rookie Caelen Carson is trying to return after missing Week 4. Already looking to be without their top two pass rushers in Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, a hobbled cornerback room is adding insult to, well, injury.

Here’s the latest updates.

Dallas Cowboys

LB Micah Parsons, Ankle | Wednesday, Thursday: Did Not Participate

WR Brandin Cooks, Knee | Wednesday, Thursday: DNP

CB Caelen Carson, Shoulder | Wednesday, Thursday: Limited Participant

Safety Markquese Bell, Ankle | Wednesday, Thursday: Full Participant

CB Trevon Diggs, Ankle | Thursday: Limited

OT Tyler Guyton, Shoulder | Thursday: Full

RB Rico Dowdle, Wrist | Thursday: Full

RB Ezekiel Elliott, Dehydration | Thursday: Limited

WR Ryan Flournoy, Dehydration | Thursday: Limited

Wednesday NIR Rest Days: Malik Hooker, Eric Kendricks Jourdan Lewis, Zack Martin

Pittsburgh Steelers

QB Russell Wilson, Calf | Wednesday, Thursday: LP

RB Jaylen Warren, Knee | Wednesday, Thursday: DNP

LB Jeremiah Moon, Ankle | Wednesday, Thursday: FP

LB Nick Herbig, Ankle | Wednesday: DNP | Thursday: Limited

G Isaac Seumalo, Pectoral | Wednesday, Thursday: FP

TE MyCole Pruitt, Knee | Wednesday, Thursday: DNP

RB Cordarrelle Patterson, Ankle | Wednesday, Thursday: DNP

DL Keeanu Benton, Ankle | Wednesday: LP | Thursday: Full

DT Larry Ogunjobi, Groin | Thursday: Limited

Micah Parsons on Justin Fields’ success: ‘Bears should have kept him’

The Pittsburgh Steelers will take on the Dallas Cowboys, sans Micah Parsons, in the first ever Sunday Night Football meeting between the long-time AFC and NFC rivals, on October 6th at 8:20 PM EST.

In a league where rivals clash, Micah Parsons, despite dealing with an injury, would love to sack Justin Fields this Sunday—but instead, he’s choosing to admire the Steelers’ star quarterback.

While speaking on his podcast, The Edge, exclusively on Bleacher Report, Parsons spoke very highly of his team’s Week 5 opposition.  He touched on the fact that Fields “won the team over” and will likely start in Week 5 regardless of Russell Wilson being healthy.

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While some analysts thought Caleb Williams was the talent to build around, Parsons stated he was glad that Mike Tomlin and the Steelers restored Fields’ confidence in himself, after potentially being stripped of it by the Chicago Bears.  He stated he was more than happy to see Fields “flourish” in this new environment.  Parsons also touched on the fact that not only is Fields 3-1 to start the season, he almost achieved an unimaginable comeback in Week 4 for Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh Steelers will take on the Dallas Cowboys, without Micah Parsons, in the first-ever Sunday Night Football meeting between the long-time AFC and NFC rivals, on October 6th, at 8:20 PM EST.

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Report: Week 5 opponent, Cowboys’ WR to miss time with infection

The Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh’s Week 5 opponent, will miss their star WR Brandin Cooks in Week 5 with an infection in his knee.

Heading into the 2024 season, health and depth were strengths of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Just five weeks in, however, injuries are running rampant. The same can be said for the Steelers’ Week 5 opponent, the Dallas Cowboys, who are expected to be without one of their best players, Micah Parsons, as well as Demarcus Lawrence, who was added to IR.

It has now been reported that Pittsburgh’s Week 5 opponent will also be without their WR2, Brandin Cooks. Cooks, with just under 10,000 career receiving yards in 135 starts, recently underwent a routine procedure that was suspected to be a ‘meniscus trimming.’

The Steelers, dealing with injuries on both sides of the ball, can relate to their opponents struggles with health.  Fans of both can simply hope that their respective teams stay healthy and wait out these injuries in time for playoff push.

The Pittsburgh Steelers look to make history this week against the Dallas Cowboys in what will be their first ever Sunday Night Football meeting on October 6th at 8:20 PM EST.

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Darius Slay laughing with Micah Parsons about Eagles’ C.J. Gardner-Johnson getting torched in Tampa was so bizarre

The Eagles desperately need a mature adult in the room.

They might just be 2-2, but the reeling Philadelphia Eagles sure feel like they’re on the brink of an all-out collapse. Little incidents like a recent conversation between Darius Slay and Micah Parsons on his podcast The Edge definitely won’t help matters.

In a discussion about Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s well-known antics, Slay weirdly laughed with Parsons — who, need I remind everyone, plays for the rival Dallas Cowboys — about Gardner-Johnson getting burned by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after talking trash.

It’s a horrible look from someone like Slay. As a teammate, he should have Gardner-Johnson’s back in public at all costs — especially when he’s talking to a rival player like Parsons, who is invested in the Eagles’ downfall:

Gardner-Johnson seemingly caught wind of Slay laughing at him with Parsons and reacted to it on Instagram with disappointment:

Listen, even if you’re an Eagles player bothered by Gardner-Johnson not backing up his usual trash talk, you have to handle that business behind closed doors. You don’t go smiling and laughing about his perceived failures with arguably the best player on Philadelphia’s most hated rival. That’s the absolute last thing you do when your team is already on the verge of a crisis.

Suffice it to say, the Eagles sure do seem like they have a massive dearth of leadership. They really need to grow up before 2024 goes off the wheels.

At this point, after seeing how a “leader” like Slay is happy to throw Gardner-Johnson under the bus, I’m starting to think that’s inevitable.

Mike Tomlin ‘painting barn red’ with Cowboys DE Micah Parsons

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is preparing his team to potentially face Dallas Cowboys’ Micah Parsons in Week 5.

As the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line goes, so does the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive line. Dallas will likely be without edge rushers DeMarcus Lawrence (foot) and Micah Parsons (ankle) on Sunday night.

Parsons has not missed a game due to injury at any level of football, only one game in 2021 because of COVID.

According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, Parsons was donning a protective boot and using a scooter to get around the facility on Monday after being injured late in Thursday’s win against the New York Giants. An MRI confirmed the high ankle sprain.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is preparing to play without both Lawrence and Parsons, but Mike Tomlin has a different perspective:

I use the phrase all the time: If you have red paint, you paint your bar red. With those dynamic edge people like Lawrence and maybe even Parsons out, we better get ready for a lot of schematic pressure from him, but we better also prepare for the likes of Parsons. A guy like is not normal in any circumstances, so we better be prepared if he shows up in-stadium to work and minimize him and how they move him around and his unique talents, particularly in one-dimensional passing moments.

If Parsons has his way, you better believe he’ll take the field at Acrisure on Sunday night.

“When you’re a real competitor, you only get 17 chances at this,” Parsons said. “And missing one of these opportunities to perform at the highest level bothers me. I feel like I want to play on Sunday. If I can play, I will play, you know. To me, as long as I can run and move how I move, I want to play.”

The chances of Parsons suiting up are slim to none. If by some miracle he does, he’ll be extremely limited.

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‘Figured myself invincible’: Micah Parsons coming to grips with likelihood of sitting out Week 5

From @ToddBrock24f7: Parsons may miss his first game ever due to injury, although he’s trying to return as quickly as possible. It doesn’t look good for Sunday.

Heading into the Cowboys’ Week 4 game in New York, linebacker Micah Parsons was trying to avoid the first three-game losing streak in his football life.

Now he’s staring down a prospective barrel that upsets him even more.

The superstar defender, wearing a protective boot and using a scooter around The Star on Monday, seems hard-pressed to play this Sunday when the Cowboys visit Pittsburgh. If he has to sit due to the high-ankle sprain he suffered late in last Thursday’s win over the Giants, it will- incredibly- be the first game Parsons has ever missed, at any level, because of injury.

Parsons isn’t yet ready to concede.

“When you’re a real competitor, you only get 17 chances at this,” Parsons said, per Todd Archer of ESPN. “And missing one of these opportunities to perform at the highest level bothers me. I feel like I want to play on Sunday. If I can play, I will play, you know. To me, as long as I can run and move how I move, I want to play.”

Parsons is officially considered week-to-week, but the more realistic outlook points to him having to sit for at least one or even two games, considering Dallas has a bye after that.

“It’s just frustrating, for real,” he said, as reported by the team website. “You put a lot of energy into getting ready and being there for the team, so being out, this hurts me because I’m letting people down. I’m just letting people down. I figured myself invincible for a while.”

But the two-time All-Pro isn’t in total denial about his current prognosis. And he’s well aware that rushing back before his body is ready could mean a re-injury… and an even longer absence.

“It’s just going to come down to how I’m attacking this and getting right with Jim [Maurer, head trainer], and getting ahead of this, so that way I can get back as fast as possible. I’m just trying to get back as fast as possible, but I don’t want it to linger.”

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The 25-year-old was held out of a game during his rookie season due to COVID protocol, but he says being sidelined with an actual injury is a new experience.

“Never,” said the three-time Pro Bowler. “Never in my whole life. I’ve never missed a game. I’ve played hurt and through pain, so, to me, playing through hurt isn’t really the problem.”

But that does seem to be the way things are looking, and not just to Parsons.

“He’ll be challenged to play this week. We’re preparing to play without him,” head coach Mike McCarthy said of Parsons to media members Monday.

“It’s definitely the unfortunate part of our game… It takes a lot of players to win in this league. Creates a great opportunity for others; that’s definitely our approach.”

So while Parsons may not lead his defensive teammates onto the field in Pittsburgh, he’s already started leading them in the week’s preparation.

“It’s time to man up,” said Parsons. “We talk about next-man-up mentality? It’s time.”

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More 3-4 looks may cover Cowboys’ temporary personnel problem

The Cowboys can’t replace Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence but maybe they don’t have to

The Cowboys essentially saved their season with their Week 4 win over the Giants, but the cost of victory was significant, losing both Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence in the process. Parsons, out 2-4 weeks with a high ankle sprain, and Lawrence, out 4-8 weeks with a Lisfranc injury, are by most accounts irreplaceable.

Parsons and Lawrence aren’t just Dallas’ top pressure players and key run defenders, but they are leaders on the field and the heart and soul of the defense. The falloff behind them appears to be immense with the rookie Marshawn Kneeland and longtime reserve Chauncey Golston slated to replace them in the starting lineup. In his fourth season, Golston has less than five career sacks to his name. Kneeland, sackless in the NFL, never logged more than 4.5 sacks in a single season in college. Based on their individual track records, it’s unlikely either player can replace half the production of the men they’re replacing.

It might be best if defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer flips the script.

Instead of inadequately filling the need at defensive end with role players, Zimmer may be better served to mix up front seven entirely. Given the strengths and weaknesses of the roster, the Cowboys could find it easier to employ a more traditional odd man front that leans on the defensive tackles rather than the defensive ends.

Contrary to popular belief many 3-4 and 4-3 fronts are extremely similar. Just because these are changes in personnel groupings doesn’t mean they change the system being played. The Cowboys already bounce between odd and even fronts frequently, using under, over and BEAR looks, including a 3-3-5. It wouldn’t be a fundamental change for Zimmer’s defense per say, just an effort to avoid plugging a round hole with a square peg.

Under this proposal the pressure players would come largely from the linebacker ranks. Dallas’ most explosive player, DeMarvion Overshown, could man an outside LB spot and serve as the chief pass rusher. The other outside LB spot could be filled by someone like Carl Lawson who has played that very role in both the NFL and back at Auburn.

Mazi Smith and Linval Joseph would rotate as the nose tackle and Osa Odighizuwa looks perfectly capable of being a playmaking defensive end. The other DE spot could be handled by a number of players including Kneeland and Golston. As 3-4 DEs they wouldn’t need to be the explosive players Parsons and Lawrence were because the playmaking roles would be on the edge LBs.

For the first time in a while the strength of the roster appears to be the LB position, so it only makes sense for the Cowboys to lean on it. And given Dallas’ issues defending the run this season, mixing things up could be just what this defense needs.

Moving to more three-man fronts sounds like a bigger change than it really is. It allows the Cowboys to lean on the strength of their roster and with any luck survive the losses of the team’s best playmakers.

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Cowboys injury update: Parsons out until bye, Lawrence to IR

The bookend end rushers are going to be on the shelf for a while. Read up on the latest news and what Dallas can do next. | From @KDDrummondNFL

Things have been a little cryptic about what to expect from the injury tent. During Thursday’s 20-15 win over the New York Giants, the Cowboys suffered a couple of injuries to key defenders. Both starting edge rushers, Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence suffered foot injuries. X-rays came back negative, but those only show broken bones.

MRIs the next day gave a clearer picture, but the club hasn’t been forthcoming about the extent of each injury. Fans did hear that Parsons suffered a high-ankle sprain, but Lawrence’s diagnosis was a little more cloudy. On Sunday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport provided some clarity. Parsons is out for at least 7-10 days and Lawrence is headed to IR with a mid-foot sprain.

The Cowboys will turn to a combination of players to replace the duo, led by rookie Marshawn Kneeland. Also in the mix will be veterans Carl Lawson and Chauncey Golston. Lawson is currently on the practice squad and has used up two elevations thus far, with one remaining.

Dallas may need to go outside the organization for depth help. If so, the list of potential street free agents is headlined by former Cowboys DE Randy Gregory. The list of potential trade candidates is led by former Eagle Haason Reddick, who has refused to report to the New York Jets after being traded their this past spring.

Trade? Haason Reddick among 5 NFL edge rushers Cowboys should consider after Parsons, Lawrence injuries

Reddick is the most famous name, but there’s also a former Mike Zimmer draft pick who may be available in Minnesota. | From @KDDrummondNFL

It could be worse, but it is absolutely bad for the Dallas Cowboys. Following the snapping of a two-game losing streak on Thursday, Cowboys Wire’s headline hinted there may not be much joy despite another beating of the rival New York Giants. “Cowboys hope winning battle vs Giants, 20-15, didn’t cost them much more via injury,” it read. Well, it did. MRIs revealed that three-time All-Pro Micah Parsons suffered a high-ankle sprain when he was landed on late in the game. To make matters worse, four-time Pro Bowler DeMarcus Lawrence had exited in the third quarter and was seen getting the bottom of his foot taped with what has now been deemed a multiple-week foot injury.

That’s two starting edge rushers out for an undetermined stretch after the team already lost key reserve Sam Williams for the season during training camp. Things are dire and it may lead the front office to try and get some help from outside the organization.

Earlier in the day, anticipating this news, a list of 10 street free agents was put together. But those guys are on the street for a reason and there may not be much return there. It might take looking to other team’s rosters in order to stop the bleeding. So who exactly is available, or could be for the right price? A quick poll of NFL Wire editors about where their respective teams’ rosters stood revealed four names they thought their clubs would deem expendable for the right price. The conversation though starts with a player who has already asked to be traded from his current club.

Haason Reddick, NY Jets

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Pro-football-reference.com

Reddick was traded from the Philadelphia Eagles to the New York Jets over the summer, in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick. Reddick hasn’t stepped foot inside the Jets facilities, holding out the entire training camp and regular season. He even demanded to be traded again in August after the two sides failed to rework his contract.

Reddick has been accruing fines and is weeks away from having his contract toll to 2025, which means he’ll be locked into the Jets for 2025 under the same terms if he doesn’t report by a deadline. It appears he feels slighted by the Jets so it’s unclear whether or not he’d play under his current contract for another team, but the Cowboys have the cap room to take on the final 14 weeks of his agreement, sitting over $25 million in the black after the extensions for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb.

ESPN’s Rich Cimini laid out a scenario where Reddick’s reps appear to have hinted he’d like to return to Philly (via Bleacher Report), but would he take a trip to Dallas also? There are questions, of course.

If Reddick were willing to play without a new deal, would the Jets acquiesce? Would a 2026 third rounder or worth do the trick? How long of a ramp-up period would be required for a player who hasn’t worked out with a team all year? How long does Dallas think they’ll be without Parsons and Lawrence? Does the front office care more about winning in 2024 or cap space to carry over? In the likelihood those questions can’t be adequately addressed, there are some other options to explore.

Poach Candidate: San Okuyinonu, San Francisco 49ers

(Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images)

Via Kyle Madison of Niners Wire: “Sam Okuayinonu on SF practice squad. Had a sack last week.”

Okuayinonu stands 6-foot-1, 269 pounds and has been in the league since 2022, starting with the Tennessee Titans.

Trade Candidate: James Houston, DE, Detroit Lions

Lions linebacker James Houston

Jeff Risdon, Lions Wire: “He’s on the 53 (healthy scratch weekly) but the Lions would certainly listen on James Houston.”

It appears that the 6-foot-1, 245 third-year player is caught behind a ton of talent and hasn’t been able to break into the rotation since being a sixth-round pick in 2022.

Trade Candidate: Pat Jones II, Minnesota Vikings

John Jones-Imagn Images

Andrew Harbaugh, Vikings Wire: “Pat Jones II is on the active roster but the Vikings are deep enough they may entertain trade talks for him (4 sacks through the first three weeks).”

The fourth-year pro stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 265 pounds and is actually an original draft pick of current Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, going in the third round in 2021. He has already matched his career high in sacks in a season with four.

Trade Candidates: Nik Bonitto, Baron Browning, Denver Broncos

Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto (15). Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Jon Heath, Broncos Wire: “Baron Browning has three more games on IR. Once he returns, Denver will have a surplus with Browning, Cooper, Bonitto, Elliss and Tillman. I think they’d definitely trade Bonitto, and once healthy, Browning too.”

Bonitto, 6-foot-3, 240 pounds and now in his third season in the league, has a sack on the season after notching eight last year. He was a second-round pick in 2022.

Browning, a third-round pick from 2021, stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 240 pounds. He had 4.5 sacks last year after five in 2022.

Report: Cowboys’ Micah Parsons has high ankle sprain

From @ToddBrock24f7: Parsons was carted off late in the Week 4 win. He said he felt good afterward, but indications are that he may miss some time.

Cowboys fans collectively held their breath when superstar linebacker Micah Parsons stayed down on the turf late in Thursday night’s 20-15 win over the New York Giants. And the doomy, gloomy thoughts grew considerably darker as he was carted off the sideline after emerging from the medical tent.

Parsons was seen limping around the locker room afterward and looked to be in noticeable pain, according to media on the scene, but he said that his on-site X-rays had come back negative. He told quarterback Dak Prescott, “I’ll be good,” and said he had his sights set on playing in Week 5 when the Cowboys travel to Pittsburgh.

The truth may be somewhere in the middle of all that.

NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport is reporting that Parsons suffered a high ankle sprain. It’s not immediately known how that diagnosis will affect his availability moving forward, but in the broad spectrum of leg injuries that most observers were imagining in the moment, the news is not as bad as it could have been.

Parsons was rolled up on from behind by Giants offensive lineman Greg Von Roten during a third-down pass play with about three and a half minutes left in regulation.

“I was coming off, and as I was planting, a guy fell on me,” he said, per Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

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Despite needing assistance to exit the field and how gingerly he was moving after the game, Parsons was already looking forward to doing what he could to be back in the huddle when the Cowboys play again Oct. 6.

“We’ve got a tough matchup next week,” he told reporters after the 20-15 Week 4 win. “I’m going to try to get back for it.”

The extra days of prep time after the Thursday game will be a blessing for Parsons and several other Cowboys players who were banged up during the visit to MetLife Stdaium, including DeMarcus Lawrence.

Dallas plays the Steelers and then the Lions before their Week 7 bye. At just 2-2, the defense would be significantly weakened for those high-profile matchups if Parsons cannot go, but the team may elect to focus on Week 8 versus San Francisco, getting Parsons healthy enough to play then and for the latter half of the season.

More should be known soon about his timetable.

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