Cowboys star Micah Parsons finally slowed by a cold; Michael Gallup to play vs. Giants
So we finally got an answer to the burning question around the NFL of what can slow Dallas Cowboys star pass rusher Micah Parsons from his fast start to the season?
A common cold.
Parsons was held out of practice Thursday due to a cold.
Coach Mike McCarthy doesn’t believe it is anything that will keep him out of Monday’s game against the New York Giants. He said the team is simply being cautious with Parsons.
This is the only thing that has come close to slowing Parsons and his relentless assault on NFL quarterbacks through the first two games of the season.
He is leading the NFL is sacks (4), tackles for losses (4), quarterback hits (7) and quarterback pressures (13). He also has 15 pass-rush wins this season, the most by any player in the NFL. There are seven teams with 15 or fewer pass-rush wins through the first two weeks, per ESPN Stats & Info from NFL Next Gen Stats.
But a cold has down something that NFL offensive lineman have not been able to do, slow him down and keep him out practice.
Gallup returns
Michael Gallup, who missed the first two games of the season rehabbing from a torn ACL, is expected to play against the Giants Monday.
Coach Mike McCarthy said the team is targeting Gallup for a full week of practice in anticipation of him making his season debut.
Gallup will be on pitch count and have a limited role.
But he gives the Cowboys a proven and experienced option to play alongside No. 1 receiver CeeDee Lamb.
“I think we have to be practical about it. I don’t see Michael playing 70 plays in the game,” McCarthy said. “The obvious it is his first game back. I think how we use, when we use him, will be part of that. I think if you are in that role as a player, you don’t have as control of the opportunities to get the player the ball. I think the biggest thing really is to get Michael through this week of work where he feels totally comfortable, confident, which I fully anticipate.
“In his mind, I think Michael’s ready right now. I think as far as the opportunities that we present to him, I think it will come in a role as far as how many snaps and so forth. The plan is not for him to play 70 plays.”
Gallup suffered a torn ACL last January.
Yet, the Cowboys considered him an importance piece to the puzzle and part of the solution to life without No. 1 receiver Amari Cooper going forward.
One day after trading Cooper to the Cleveland Browns for a fifth-round pick, the Cowboys signed an injured Gallup to a five-year deal worth up to $62.5 million dollars.
The Cowboys knew he wouldn’t be ready to start the season.
Gallup, a third-round draft pick out of Colorado State in 2018, has been the team’s the best downfield threat.
In four seasons, Gallup has produced 193 catches for 2,902 yards and 15 touchdowns, including a 1,000-yard season in 2020.
Gallup missed nine games in 2021 due to a calf and knee injury, catching 35 passes for 445 yards and two touchdowns.
Dak Prescott soft-tossing weighted balls
The ramping up toward a quick return for quarterback Dak Prescott is on.
The stitches have yet to be removed from Prescott’s surgically-repaired fractured right thumb.
But he joined the Cowboys in practice for the first time since the surgery and was seen soft tossing softball-sized weighted balls.
The team says he could return as soon as next Sunday’s game against the Washington Commanders on Oct. 2 of not the following Sunday agaisnt the Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 9.
This story was originally published September 22, 2022 at 11:52 AM.
