The Green Bay Packers won’t have star edge rusher Micah Parsons on the practice field this week, but his return is getting closer. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday that the Packers will not open Parsons’ 21-day practice window ahead of the Week 6 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys on “Sunday Night Football.” Schefter also reported that Green Bay expects Parsons to return at least to practice in October.

After that report, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said in his press conference that Parsons’ return is looming.

“As soon as [the medical staff people] give us the green light,” LaFleur said. “That hasn’t happened yet, but I think we’re getting closer.”

That’s a positive development. Last week, The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero reported that Parsons might only return in November. Now there’s a scenario where the star defender is back on the practice field this month, with a potential comeback to games in early November.

Making sense of Micah Parsons’ timeline

The reports from Schefter and Pelissero don’t necessarily contradict each other. In fact, both scenarios could be true at the same time, and that would align with Parsons’ recovery timeline.

The Packers have the option to open a 21-day practice window for Parsons. If they do, he stays on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, which would essentially work as a roster exemption. Parsons would be able to practice without counting toward the 53-man roster during those 21 days, and Green Bay could activate him at any point in that window.

“I think we’re all hopeful,” LaFleur added. “I mean, he’s a physical specimen. He’s a creature of nature for sure. Sometimes, you don’t want one leg to feel that much stronger than the other.”

The most realistic path is for Parsons to return to practice next week, ahead of the Detroit Lions game, or the week after ahead of the Carolina Panthers game. From there, the team would likely give him two or three weeks to ramp up before he plays.

A viable target for Parsons’ return to game action could be Week 9 (at New England Patriots) or Week 10, which looks like the most logical spot at this point because it’s a Lambeau Field game against the Minnesota Vikings. Getting back on a grass field before the bye week sounds like a positive scenario.

So Parsons could be back practicing in October, as Schefter reported, and still make his season debut in November, as Pelissero suggested.

A serious injury and a cautious approach

Green Bay wanted Parsons back as soon as possible after his four-game stint on the PUP list, which is mandatory under NFL rules. That wasn’t possible because of the severity of the injury, even though there wasn’t any type of setback.

Parsons tore his ACL and also had a meniscus injury repaired during the surgery. He suffered the injury on Dec. 14 of last year and had surgery on Dec. 29. The Packers have a strict nine-month rule of no football activities after surgery.

Those nine months have now passed, so Parsons could theoretically return. But the Packers want to make sure he is fully healthy before he gets back on the field. And that’s because Green Bay made a huge investment to acquire and pay him.

Parsons is under contract through 2029. The Packers don’t want to risk a long-term investment for a few extra games this season, especially with a player who is supposed to anchor their defense for years.

For now, the timeline remains fluid. There is no exact date for Parsons’ return, but LaFleur is hopeful the medical staff will clear him to practice soon.

Once the practice window opens, the clock starts. The Packers will then have 21 days to decide when Parsons is ready to be activated, and that ramp-up period will say a lot about how close he is to full strength.