Packers Hit Pause on Micah Parsons' Return Window

The Green Bay Packers are going to have to survive a little longer without their primary agent of chaos. Head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed that star edge rusher Micah Parsons will not open his practice window this week.

LaFleur added the mandatory "no setbacks" disclaimer, which is standard coach-speak for "please stop asking me about this." But the reality is that a Packers defense without Parsons is like a sports car running on a lawnmower engine. You can paint it green and gold, but it is not fooling anyone on the highway.

"Matt LaFleur confirmed there have been 'no setbacks, just not yet.'"

Parsons has been working his way back from a torn ACL suffered last December against the Denver Broncos. Before his knee gave out in Week 15, he had already racked up 12.5 sacks and was the undisputed anchor of one of the league's best defensive units.

Green Bay desperately needs him back on the field. The Packers are coming off a brutal 35-14 beatdown at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons, a game where their defense looked completely toothless without their top disruptor.

Anyone looking at Green Bay's defensive props or team totals right now has to price in this extended absence. A defense missing a guy who practically lives in the opponent's backfield is a completely different unit, and the market will adjust accordingly until he is officially cleared.

For now, the Packers just have to wait. Until Parsons actually steps on the practice field and that return window officially opens, Green Bay has to figure out how to manufacture pressure with the guys they actually have in uniform.