The Green Bay Packers postseason hopes face a major hurdle as the star pass-rusher’s recovery timeline shifts, forcing the defense to navigate a brutal opening stretch without its centerpiece.
The timeline appears to be changing for star pass-rusher Micah Parsons' return to the Green Bay Packers this season.
There was some hope Parsons could return near mid-October. He's expected to start the year on the PUP list before being eligible to return to the 53-man roster in Week 5.
Parsons said the Packers have a "nine-month rule" to recover from an ACL injury, and September 29 would be nine months since the initial injury.
But even a mid-October date might have been too optimistic for Parsons. Per Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom, Parsons is now expected to miss half of the regular season, if not more.
"Green Bay star pass rusher Micah Parsons is going to miss upwards of half the season returning from surgery," La Canfora wrote.
After investing two first-round picks in Parsons last season, the Packers absolutely need their best player on the field to compete for the playoffs. At the same time Green Bay cannot risk long-term injury for the star pass-rusher.
In June, Parsons said it makes no sense to come back early from an ACL injury.
"I think the goal has always just been not right now, but longevity with my career here," Parsons said," via NFL media. "I think they want that approach. We have a pretty strong nine-month rule.
"It's just all about, just through the research and the data, there's no good outcomes with players coming back early from [an] ACL. Especially if you had other things that had to get fixed up, so it's just all about completing the rehab to the best of our ability and then seeing where we're at from there."
Parsons goal is to finish the season when he returns and not suffer a "relapse" before the Packers make a push in the playoffs.
But Green Bay will have to make the postseason without Parsons playing a significant portion of the season.
His absence will definitely affect defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon's ability to generate a pass rush, and could add a high number to the loss total before Week 9 (when the Packers go on the road to play the New England Patriots), which would be the halfway mark of the regular season.
