Schottenheimer: Parsons will need ‘ramp-up’ when he returns

Dallas Cowboys head coach hinted at the possibility of star pass-rusher Micah Parsons playing limited snaps in the season-opener against the Philadelphia Eagles if he does suit up.

“At the end of the day as soon as he can get out there, that’s great, but again there will be a ramp-up plan for him,” Schottenheimer said Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer.

“And when he lines up out there to play, do I think he would play 75 plays and every play? Probably not. I don’t think that that’s real. But I do think that he can be very disruptive like we all know.”

Parsons has yet to practice this summer due to a contract impasse with the team. Other players who were sitting out of practices, like Terry McLaurin and Trey Hendrickson, ended their disputes after agreeing to contract resolutions with their respective clubs.

The 26-year-old is also dealing with a back injury. However, an MRI on the issue came back “pretty clean,” according to Schottenheimer. Parsons was spotted without a Cowboys jersey on while lying down on the medical table during Friday’s preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons.

Schottenheimer said after the game that he would have a private discussion with Parsons about his etiquette during the contest. The head coach refused to go into detail Tuesday about how that conversation went.

Parsons is in the final year of his rookie deal, which holds a $24-million base salary after the club exercised his fifth-year option. Owner and general manager Jerry Jones told former Cowboys star Michael Irvin that Parsons’ agent nixed a deal that he and the edge rusher personally negotiated in March. The public contract standoff has been ongoing for months, which has included a trade request from Parsons.

“Every day that he can get out there and get reps would be great,” Schottenheimer added. “But I do think very strongly that him being around has helped him.

“Doing some of the walk-throughs and things like that, it does help. There’s communication, there’s signals that come from the sideline, there’s communication from player to player that he’s getting all those things.”

Dallas will face the Eagles on Sept. 4 in the league’s first game of the 2025 season.

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