The Green Bay Packers opened up edge defender Micah Parsons’ 21-day practice window on Wednesday, which allows him to practice with the team for up to three weeks before he’s eventually brought up to the active roster. That 21-day window overlaps with the Packers’ bye week in Week 11, which means that Parsons should be on the roster by the team’s Week 12 game against the Los Angeles Rams on Thanksgiving Eve, but Parsons hesitated to commit to playing in that game.
According to head coach Matt LaFleur,
Parsons was only going to participate in individual drills on Wednesday. After practice today, Parsons spoke to the press and stated that he’s “excited for next week” when he can “actually practice.”
Per Parsons, timelines jumped around for his recovery, as testing his leg — where he’s coming off a major knee injury — did not produce results beyond the common recovery. The edge rusher stated that he had full repairs to both his lateral and medial menisci in the same knee that suffered a torn ACL last season. Beyond of that, Parsons was essentially non-weight-bearing for two months, which is why the timeline for this recovery is pushing 11 months compared to the 9 months for Christian Watson and Tucker Kraft.
Parsons also mentioned “Wisconsin” several times, likely a hint that the University of Wisconsin-Madison was involved in his recovery. The university has helped other players fix imbalances in their bodies in the past, including Watson and running back MarShawn Lloyd, two players who had been injury-prone before their trips southwest.
The All-Pro said there were also times when he was unsure he would even be back on the field in November, but that his “knee feels great” at the moment. He also claimed that it’s “not realistic” for him to play 50 to 60 snaps when he does return back to games, as he’s still working himself into shape after missing training camp.
You can find a full video of Parsons’ media availability below:
