FRISCO, Texas — One could argue no one knows Micah Parsons better than Trevon Diggs, the two being the best of friends on and off of the field, to the point where the two actually held a combo interview at one point from training camp in Oxnard.
It was then that Diggs hammered home just how valued Parsons is within the Cowboys' locker room and brotherhood, and the All-Pro cornerback provided much more insight into the mind of Parsons following Diggs' first practice since suffering a season-ending knee injury in 2024.
The latter, who says he has no physical restrictions and will base his odds of playing in the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles upon his conditioning and football shape, was asked if his fellow All-Pro actually wants to be traded; or if Parsons would prefer to remain with the Cowboys.
"Most definitely [he wants to stay here]," said Diggs. "Like I've heard him say before, he plays the game for us. We go out there —, blood, sweat and tears. We work out together. We train together.
"It's really about him being with us, at the end of the day, so I know for sure he wants to be out there with us and helping this team win. This is his home. This is his family.
"Why wouldn't he want to be here?"
It's no secret the ongoing stalemate that exists between Parsons and the Cowboys has become contentious, to say the very least, but it hasn't stopped the three-time Pro Bowler from remaining both present and fully engaged in practices and meetings, including being in the building for Monday's practice as well — no doubt cheering on Diggs in his bid to be on the field as early as Week 1 in Philly.
That said, it remains undetermined if Parsons will be on the field himself for Thursday Night Football, though head coach Brian Schottenheimer and All-Pro quarterback Dak Prescott both have confidence they'll have The Lion in uniform and chasing after Jalen Hurts in a little more than one week from now.
"I've got confidence," said Prescott on Monday. "I told y'all way back when. I'm just going off of experience, honestly, no different than mine. I've got confidence in that."
The sentiment is echoed by Diggs, and then some.
"All the guys miss him, and everybody wants him out there," said the record-setting cornerback. "I just hope everything gets handled, so we can just go out there and win. … He actually works out all the time. Even when we were in training camp, he would wake up early in the morning, run, lift weights and get in the sauna.
"He goes home when we go home, and he works out. He does everything he can, just about everything can, [other than] being on the field. I know he's working. He wants to get out their bad.
"I know what type of person he is. I know what type of hard worker he is. I know he wants to be out there."
When that might occur is anyone's guess at the moment, but there remains just under two weeks for things to progress to the point wherein Parsons and the Cowboys feel traction beneath the tires attached to the ongoing negotiations.
One thing is for certain, though, and that's how badly Parsons wants things to get back to normal, as described by his best friend.
