The Cowboys could possibly lose one of their young stars for the regular-season finale at Philadelphia when it was announced linebacker Micah Parsons was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Wednesday.
The announcement came after coach Mike McCarthy’s 20-plus minute news conference.
“(I’m) saddened by the news,” Parsons said on Twitter. “I feel like I let my team down and Dallas Cowboys nation! I’ll be back better than ever!! I’m only going to be more hungry! See you soon.”
Parsons has to quarantine for five days before getting cleared to play under the new COVID-19 protocols agreed to by the league and the player’s union. However, Parsons has to be asymptomatic for at least 24 hours and can return with a negative test.
The rookie linebacker has 13 sacks and a league-leading 20 tackles for loss in 16 games. Parsons will come up short of the single-season rookie sack record of 14.5 set by Tennessee’s Jevon Kearse in 1999.
How Parsons contracted the virus isn’t known, but it appears he violated league rules by attending an indoor sporting event by not sitting in a suite. On Monday, Parsons sat courtside during the Mavericks-Nuggets game at American Airlines Center. He also posed for a picture with Mavs owner Mark Cuban.
The Cowboys or the league could discipline Parsons for a possible violation of COVID-19 rules.
“At this point, you may wish you did or wish it was, but who knows if that’s where he got it from,” quarterback Dak Prescott said. “No one can pinpoint or truly detect where we’re picking it up, where people are getting it from right now. But we can do the best we can of controlling our surroundings.”
The loss of Parsons was lessened by the return of linebacker Keanu Neal from COVID-19 protocols. Neal missed last week’s game against Arizona because of a positive test. Neal, who is unvaccinated, has tested positive twice for the coronavirus and missed a total of three games in 2021.
The Cowboys have three linebackers on the 53-man roster heading into the Eagles game in Leighton Vander Esch, Luke Gifford and Neal. Also, linebacker Devante Bond, a 2016 sixth-round pick from Tampa Bay, is on the Cowboys practice squad. Bond might get elevated to the game-day roster for the Eagles game.
