GREEN BAY – Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur is not concerned about Micah Parsons’ emotions getting the best of him when he returns to Dallas.

It’s natural for a player to be hyped up to play to play his former team, but for Parsons there’s more to the story than just a simple reunion. Parsons was engaged with a negotiating standoff with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who refused to speak to the All-Pro’s agent or bend from an offer he claimed was made in the offseason.

After a six-week stalemate, Jones decided to trade Parsons to the Packers for two first-round picks and nose tackle Kenny Clark. After four seasons with the Cowboys, Parsons is starting anew with the Packers.

The game between the Packers and Cowboys was hyped the day Parsons was dealt and so a lot of attention will be on Parsons this week. LaFleur said he thinks Parsons can handle it.

“I think every game, you’ve got to approach it the same way, whether it’s Week 1 of the regular season, or if you get in the playoffs or the Super Bowl, whatever, you’ve got to come in with the same mindset,” LaFleur said. “The focus is — yeah, you’ve got to know what you’re going against — but the focus always comes back to us and what we’ve got to do and how we need to go out there with the focus and concentration that we need to have.

“I’m not worried about that (with Parsons).”

LaFleur thinks Kenny Clark is playing at a high level

Asked how he thinks, Clark is playing, LaFleur said, “He looks really good, like I would expect, like he did when he was here. He’s going to be a handful.”

Clark has played more snaps than any player on the Dallas defense and has 10 tackles and a sack.

LaFleur said Clark’s impact on a team isn’t just on the field.

“I think there’s a reason he got a third contract because not many guys do,” LaFleur said. “And certainly I think you have to play at a certain level, which he has, but you also have to be a certain type of guy. I think Kenny is a pro’s pro.

“I’ve got so much respect for him, as much as anybody that I’ve been around in this game, in terms of his approach, his team-first mentality, his willingness to help others and bring guys along. He wasn’t always the most vocal, but when he talked, everybody listened.”

Though right tackle Zach Tom probably will be held out, LaFleur will wait before declaring other injured players out

After dropping out after one play against Cleveland, right tackle Zach Tom’s status this week seemed cast in stone. The Packers have a bye after the Dallas game and giving him two full weeks to recover from a torn oblique muscle makes a lot of sense.

But the Packers have several other players who suffered injuries whose status remains unknown.

Among them are safety Javon Bullard (concussion), guard Aaron Banks (groin) and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt (knee).

LaFleur wants to see how they are doing at the end of the week.

“We’re going to give all our veteran players an opportunity up until game time to go out there and perform,” LaFleur said. “I think there’s got to be something, especially with what transpired (with Tom), you want to have some level of confidence that they can go out there and practice and be functional.

“The last thing you want to do is put somebody that is in a position where they can’t perform to the level that we need that to be. Or if you are risking further injury, obviously you pull the guy.”

This article originally appeared on Packers News: Packers’ LaFleur isn’t worried about Micah Parsons’ mindset in Dallas