During the Dallas Cowboys’ Week 4 win over the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football, star EDGE Micah Parsons suffered a high ankle sprain, and he’s been out ever since.
What’s the latest on Parsons’ status, and when will he return to action? Let’s examine the latest news surrounding Parsons’ injury.
What Happened to Micah Parsons?
Parsons went down with a high ankle sprain while pressuring Giants quarterback Daniel Jones with 3:30 remaining in the fourth quarter in Week 4.
Cowboys All-Pro Edge Rusher Micah Parsons is being carted to the locker room
Here is the play where the injury happened pic.twitter.com/ODjV5SpVPj
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) September 27, 2024
Prior to this injury, Parsons had never missed a game, playing all 54 contests in his first three seasons and change.
He was off to a strong start to the 2024 campaign, even though his stats don’t jump off the page (one sack, 14 tackles, and six quarterback hits). However, those aren’t indicative of Parsons’ actual impact on Dallas’ defense.
At the time of his injury in Week 4, Parsons was tied for fifth in the NFL in pressures (21). He had accounted for over 45% of the Cowboys’ pressures, which was the second-highest percentage in the league behind Aidan Hutchinson of the Detroit Lions.
Parsons has missed two games — Dallas’ Week 5 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and Week 6 loss to the Detroit Lions — but then he had the Week 7 bye to recover.
Will he be able to return in Week 8 when the Cowboys face the San Francisco 49ers? The fact that Dallas didn’t put Parsons on injured reserve is promising, as it suggests they didn’t anticipate him missing four games.
On Wednesday, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters that Parsons and cornerback Caelen Carson worked off to the side in a rehab group during practice. It remains to be seen when Parsons will be able to practice, even in limited fashion.
Keep an eye on the Cowboys’ practice reports this week and then Friday’s injury report to get a sense of how he’s progressing and whether a Week 8 return is realistic.
Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy says that CB DaRon Bland (foot) and LB Eric Kendricks (shoulder) will be limited in practice today.
DE Micah Parsons and CB Caelen Carson (shoulder) will work off to the side in the rehab group.#DallasCowboys
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) October 23, 2024
The Cowboys could be getting back some key reinforcements, as Parsons, cornerback DaRon Bland, and linebacker Eric Kendricks could all be coming back very soon. Bland has yet to play this season, while Kendricks missed Week 6.
Dallas has also been without linebacker DeMarcus Lawrence and wide receiver Brandin Cooks, who remain on IR and are eligible to return in Week 10.
Cowboys Have Struggled With or Without Parsons
Dallas cannot get its top defender back soon enough, as the Cowboys have been a largely hopeless unit this season. Through Week 7, Dallas’ defense ranked:
- 31st in points per game allowed (28.0)
- 30th in expected points added per play (-0.09)
- 30th in rushing success rate (53%)
No matter how you slice it, the first season under defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer has fallen well short of expectations.
PFN’s Defense+ metric ranks all 32 defenses based on a cocktail of statistics, such as success rate, EPA per play, pressure without blitzing, points per drive, and others weighted according to importance.
The Cowboys are the 22nd-ranked unit this season and are on the decline, as Pro Football Network’s Ben Rolfe wrote:
“The departure of Dan Quinn was always likely to lead to some regression for the Cowboys’ defense, which has been the case so far in 2024. This year, they rank 22nd with a Defense+ below 50 for the first time since 2020. That has dragged Dallas from an above-average unit to a below-average one, and there’s not much to indicate improvement is coming.
“The Cowboys rank in the bottom five in the NFL against the run and in red-zone efficiency while sitting in the bottom 10 in points per drive and defensive EPA per game. Their best defensive player, Micah Parsons, has been absent with an injury, which isn’t helping their cause.”
While the Cowboys want Parsons back as soon as possible, it’s worth noting that the team has also struggled with him.
- Cowboys With Parsons on Field: 5.8 yards per play allowed, 61% success rate
- Cowboys With Parsons off Field: 5.6 yards per play allowed, 57% success rate
Believe it or not, Dallas has also actually generated better pressure with Parsons off the field (38% to 33% with him on) despite blitzing at a lower rate without him.
Obviously, the Cowboys are better when Parsons is on the field. However, this does illustrate how Dallas’ defensive problems run deeper than Parsons’ absence.