micah.png
Getty Images

The Green Bay Packers are taking things somewhat slowly with Micah Parsons in Sunday's opener against the Detroit Lions. That decision is a product of getting the pass rusher up to speed. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the team does not want to rush the multi-time All-Pro back in a full-time, every-down capacity until his body's ready.

Parsons will be in the lineup against Green Bay's NFC rival Sunday, eager to produce in his debut, however.

"He's going to be a little bit limited as far as his snaps go, but not because of his facet joint sprain in his back," Rapoport said. "My understanding is the Packers are going to basically use the next four weeks as essentially training camp, making sure his body is right. Expect him to rush the passer today."

The Packers listed Parsons as "limited" in this week's practice report. CBS Sports' Tracy Wolfson reported Parsons' playing status for the weekend, previously relaying this his playing time was undetermined.

"I'm still ramping up," Parsons said earlier this week. "It's a process of getting ready for football. Being out for six months, obviously, going through the tightness, the soreness, but I just got plenty of faith that this great training staff and the coaches are slowly getting me the plays and getting me things that I need if we decide to give me the green light out there. It's completely up to the coaches, though."

Parsons is dealing with an L4/L5 facet joint sprain in his lower back. There's a chance Parsons could need an epidural injection to deal with the discomfort at the start of the season.

"We're just going to see about that," Parsons said. "Right now, we just took the steroid pack that I got from the Cowboys last week, and we started that last week while I was getting treatment there. ... We finished the pack and hopefully that works plus treatment to get me back to 100 [percent]."

As part of his recent signing with the Packers, Parsons inked a four-year, $188 million extension, the largest deal ($47 million annually) for a non-quarterback in NFL history. Parsons, who has recorded 52.5 sacks in four seasons, hopes to lead the Packers to their sixth postseason appearance in the last seven years.

Reporting emerged this week that Green Bay had been eyeing defensive help throughout the offseason. Before landing Parsons, the Packers made an offer to Cincinnati for edge Trey Hendrickson. The Bengals and Hendrickson agreed to a major contract revision last month following a lengthy and contentious deliberation process, boosting the NFL's reigning sacks leader's annual salary from $14 million to $30 million in 2025.