Penn State football had a bye week, but there were still many players in the NFL who are former Nittany Lions and played this past week.
Unfortunately, one of those guys wasn’t Micah Parsons, who is still recovering from a tough knee injury he suffered a year ago.
Parsons, a member of the Green Bay Packers, could be of real use right now as the team sits in third place in the NFC North.
The Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears have played very well to start the season, but Green Bay has done the same, going three straight wins by taking down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bears, and Dallas Cowboys.
This would have been an excellent weekend to get Parsons back, as the Packers will face a strong Lions team.
However, according to the latest report, there's also a scenario in which he doesn't return until Week 8 against the Carolina Panthers, when Green Bay plays on Thursday Night Football in two weeks.
“A league source tells me Parsons might not return until Week 9, against the Patriots on Nov. 8. The Packers did not open his practice window this week to begin his return. In Week 7, Green Bay plays the Detroit Lions before hosting the Panthers on “Thursday Night Football”; believing Parsons needs more than a week to ramp up, the short-week turnaround would be difficult to pull off.
“With that timeline, Parsons will be more than 10 months removed from ACL and MCL surgery before he returns. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said this week, “I think we’re getting closer,” and Parsons expanded on his podcast, saying he wants to ensure he’s fully healthy and not overcompensating before returning,” Jonathan Jones of The Athletic wrote.
The reality for the Packers is that they have to be smart about what they do with Parsons.
Bringing him back if he isn't 100% healthy isn't the smartest decision, even if it leads to short-term success.
With Parsons arguably the best defensive player in football, keeping him healthy for the rest of the season and into the playoffs is the top priority. Even if the Packers lose games, it's better to have him healthy in the future than to see a player of his caliber go down with what would be another devastating injury if he weren't 100% healthy and came back prematurely.
The Packers are in a good spot and can afford to let him be for now.