When he takes the field for the Dallas Cowboys against the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night, star linebacker/edge rusher Micah Parsons will have a club cast on his left hand. Parsons was spotted with the wrap on his hand during pregame warmups:
According to Yahoo! Sports, Parsons was asked by reporters on Tuesday about the hand wrap he wore during practice, but declined to elaborate. “You know, football,” Parsons said. “That’s the reality of it. We play a physical sport. I’m good though.”
Parsons was not listed on the Cowboys’ injury report on Monday, then showed up as being limited on both Tuesday and Wednesday due to a hand injury. Parsons is nonetheless active for the game against Tennessee, despite the fact that the Titans are holding out several notable players of their own. Tennessee is playing for the AFC South title next week no matter what happens in the game against Dallas.
That the Cowboys were willing to let Parsons play despite being on a short week and working against a shorthanded opponent would typically lead one to believe that Parsons’ hand injury is not too serious — especially considering that the team held running back Tony Pollard out due to a thigh bruise.
But Parsons has also been nicked up several times throughout this season, and has seen his effectiveness wane a bit in recent weeks compared with earlier in the season. Anything that could slow him down would obviously make a major difference (in a negative way) for the Dallas defense, which itself has been much more vulnerable lately that it was early on.
