Parsons hasn’t practiced since suffering the trauma in the fourth quarter of the Cowboys’ Sept. 26 win against the Pristine York Giants, but has made progress that would see him return next month against the Atlanta Falcons.
In the month of the trauma, sources said Parsons would be sidelined for 2 to 4 weeks. He has been doing rehab on the field this month and throughout the Cowboys’ month-long bye.
The debut of Professional Bowl cornerback DaRon Uninteresting may also have to attend. He was also excluded from the San Francisco game. He underwent basic surgery in August for a stress fracture and returned to training on October 9, but was in pain and has not practiced for more than a week.
His 21-day practice window will end on Monday, so the Cowboys will have to keep him on injury hold or add him to the 53-man roster, which is very likely. Linebacker Eric Kendricks (shoulder) is questionable, but his mentor Mike McCarthy indicated that Kendricks is heading in the right direction to play the next few games without the Cowboys’ best play.
Cornerback Caelen Carson (shoulder) and linebacker Nick Vigil (base) also are questionable.
This will be the debut for running back Dalvin Cook, who has spent the season on the practice squad. The Cowboys have the lowest-ranked rushing offense (77.2 yards per game) and haven’t had a 100-yard rusher in 20 games, a franchise record.
Cook had four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons for the Minnesota Vikings (2019-22). Rico Dowdle leads the Cowboys in rushing with 246 yards on 54 carries. Ezekiel Elliott has 115 yards on 38 carries.
McCarthy said the Cowboys will take advantage of the full month of practice before deciding to cook. The team will have a tradition Saturday before flying to San Francisco.
“Dalvin is ready. I really like the job he’s doing,” McCarthy said. “I think he’s clearly crossed the threshold of communication, understanding and most importantly, down the line, visual and non-verbal communication, which is the bottom line. I think he’s definitely in a position to do that.”
