Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons and miss third straight game

FRISCO, Texas – Dallas Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons will miss his third straight game with a sprained left ankle when the Cowboys play the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Parsons hasn't practiced since he was injured in the fourth quarter of the Cowboys' win over the New York Giants on Sept. 26, but he has made progress that could lead him to a return next week against the Atlanta Falcons.

At the time of the injury, sources said Parsons would be out two to four weeks. He completed on-field rehab this week and during the Cowboys' bye last week.

The debut of Pro Bowl cornerback DaRon Bland will also have to wait. He was also ejected from the San Francisco game. He had surgery for a stress fracture in his foot in August and returned to training on October 9, but was sore and has not practiced for the past week.

His 21-day practice window closes on Monday, so the Cowboys will either have to keep him on injured reserve or add him to the 53-man roster, which is most likely. Linebacker Eric Kendricks (shoulder) is questionable, but coach Mike McCarthy indicated Kendricks is trending in the right direction after missing the Cowboys' last game.

Cornerback Caelen Carson (shoulder) and linebacker Nick Vigil (foot) are also questionable.

This could be the debut of running back Dalvin Cook, who spent the season on the practice squad. The Cowboys have the worst rushing offense (77.2 yards per game) and have not had a 100-yard rusher in a franchise-record 20 games.

Cook posted four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons for the Minnesota Vikings (2019-22). Rico Dowdle leads the Cowboys in rushing with 246 yards and 54 carries. Ezekiel Elliott has 115 yards on 38 carries.

McCarthy said the Cowboys would use the entire week of practice before making a decision on Cook. The team will have a practice on Saturday before flying to San Francisco.

“Dalvin is ready. I really like the work he does,” McCarthy said. “I think he has clearly crossed the threshold of communication, of understanding and, above all, of non-verbal, visual communication, and that is the final point. I think he’s definitely capable of doing that.”