Most of the talk around Green Bay Packers edge rusher and former Cowboys star Micah Parsons this offseason focused on his Week 6 return to face his former team.
It doesn’t look like that’s going to happen now.
“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,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on Monday. “There still is uncertainty about exactly when Parsons will return from his knee injury, but the hope still remains it will be this month.”
Parsons hasn’t played since he tore his ACL in a Week 15 loss to the Denver Broncos.
“No Micah Parsons revenge game, it appears,” Cowboys reporter Joseph Hoyt wrote on his official X account.
“If this holds true, the Packers will be without Micah Parsons, Edgerrin Cooper and Javon Hargrave on defense when the Cowboys visit in Week 6,” Cowboys reporter Patrik Walker wrote on his official X account.
‘NFL’s Worst Defense’ Since Blockbuster Trade
After trading Parsons right before the 2025 regular season, the Cowboys floundered without him — as expected — and then spent the offseason trying to build a new defense.
That includes using both of their 2026 1st-round picks on defensive players and making several high-profile trades—including getting NFL All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets and star cornerback Joey Porter Jr. from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Nothing has helped, and The Ringer’s Sheil Kapadia put the Cowboys’ defense on blast with some alarming stats following their 24-16 home loss to the previously winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5.
“The Cowboys have now played 22 games since that Micah Parsons trade before last season,” Kapadia said on The Ringer NFL Show on October 10. “In that 22-game stretch, they are the worst defense in the NFL … the very worst defense in the NFL. I know Parsons is injured right now, and he wouldn’t be helping them right now, but you know what? I would feel better if I were a Cowboys fan.”
Cowboys’ Latest Move: Trade for Star Cornerback
Adding Porter Jr. was the latest move to lift up the defense — and he didn’t even play against the Buccaneers after showing up to the stadium, then being forced to leave with an illness.
Porter Jr. left the Pittsburgh Steelers after a nasty contract battle — one that still hasn’t been resolved with a trade to the Cowboys.
“Trade! The Steelers and Cowboys are finalizing a deal sending CB Joey Porter Jr. to Dallas,” NFL insider Tom Pelissero wrote on his official X account on October 1. “The standoff is over: Joey Porter Jr. is about to be a Cowboy, while the Steelers move forward with a big game against the Browns on Thursday night.”
“BREAKING: Steelers are trading CB Joey Porter Jr. to the Cowboys, per sources,” NFL insider Jordan Schultz wrote on his official X account. “Cowboys are sending a 2028 2nd round pick and a conditional 2027 6th to the Steelers in the trade … deal is being finalized tonight.”
Cowboys Get Critical Injury Update on Facing Packers’ Micah Parsons