Amid what came across as an obvious "hold-in" during training camp as his situation with the Dallas Cowboys escalated, Micah Parsons was ostensibly not practicing due to a back issue. Upon being traded to the Green Bay Packers, his passing a physical seemed to eliminate the back issue as a thing moving forward.
Parsons practiced on Monday, as his new team starts preparation for a Week 1 showdown against the Detroit Lions. But subsequent reports, including from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network and ESPN's Adam Schefter, have added a layer to things.
Parsons is reportedly dealing with a facet joint sprain in his back, in his L4/L5 vertebrae, and he may need an epidural injection to play Sunday against the Lions.
Schefter added how the Cowboys had prescribed Parsons a five-day plan of an anti-inflammatory corticosteroid to help him recover from back tightness. They also, according to Schefter, had Parsons on a physical therapy program.
Micah Parsons injury update shifts Week 1 matchup toward the Lions
The Cowboys were clearly, perhaps with some medical imaging as their guide, not dismissing Parsons' back injury before he was traded.
It boils down to this. Parsons may need to have an epidural injection to play against the Lions on Sunday. And even if he is able to suit up, it's fair to assume he'll be operating at less than full strength, and he may have to be on some sort of snap count.
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For what it's worth, and before the reports about the gritty specifics of the back injury, Lions' head coach Dan Campbell sounded like he fully expected Parsons to play on Sunday when asked if anything in the team's game plan would change due to his presence.
"I don't know how much it'll necessarily change yet," Campbell said. "I mean, we're not even into third down, so we'll get more into that in the next couple of days. But certainly, we'll have our eyes on that."
"We know what kind of player he is. He's a really good player. But we'll have a plan."
Unless things take a turn for the worse as the week goes on, and not participating in practice won't be a firm declaration before Friday's final injury report comes out, Parsons should be able to suit up on Sunday. But he is not 100 percent healthy, and that tips the scales toward the Lions in a game that stands to be very important to how the NFC North ultimately shakes out.