It appears that the much-anticipated rematch between five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Micah Parsons and his former Cowboys squad may have to wait a while longer.
The Packers "are not anticipating" that Parsons will be able to play this Sunday when the Cowboys visit Lambeau Field for their Week 6 primetime matchup. Parsons, 27, is still coming back from a torn ACL suffered late last year and, while his rehab effort "has intensified in recent weeks," per ESPN's Rob Demovsky, he still is not ready to fully practice with the team.
"As soon as they give us the green light, he'll be out there," Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Monday. "That hasn't happened yet, but I think we're getting closer."
Parsons went down with the knee injury in mid-December of
last season, his first with Green Bay. He admitted in August that his so-called "hold-in" during the summer of 2025, amidst his prolonged contract dispute with the Cowboys, likely had a cumulative effect that left him physically "overloaded" and more susceptible to injury following his trade to the Packers.
Packers are not anticipating that their standout pass rusher Micah Parsons will return to practice this week as Green Bay prepares for Sunday night’s game vs. the Dallas Cowboys, per sources. There still is uncertainty about exactly when Parsons will return from his knee injury,… pic.twitter.com/Lng2iQFFwB
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 12, 2026
The former first-round draft pick had previously targeted the Week 6 Cowboys-Packers game as a "very realistic" date for making his 2026 debut. Based on his progress, though, Parsons may now also miss the Packers' Week 7 divisional tilt versus Detroit.
"There's a lot of testing that goes on before he gets medically cleared to get out there," LaFleur said. "And then I'm sure we're gonna want to give him some time to get back to playing football. As you see with most guys that are coming off a major injury, it takes a little bit of time."
At 3-2, the Packers are already dealing with a rash of injuries, especially within their defensive front seven. Linebacker Edgerrin Cooper was lost for the season to a torn Achilles tendon in Week 4. Defensive tackle Javon Hargrave went down with the same injury last Sunday; he is also out of the remainder of 2026.
While his trade just before the start of the 2025 season triggered a significant amount of personnel turnover in Dallas, the departure of the Cowboys' best defender has had a lasting statistical impact. In the 22 games since Parsons left (per The Ringer's Sheil Kapadia), the unit has ranked dead last in the league in EPA per drive, success rate, and explosive play rate allowed, and they rank 31st out of 32 in rushing success rate.
Parsons recorded three tackles and a sack when the Cowboys and Packers played to a 40-40 tie in Week 4 of the 2025 season.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Report: Cowboys won't get rematch with Micah Parsons; Packers defense depleted by injury
