Coming out of the bye week, the Cowboys certainly underwent a massive roster shift. Not only did they add trade acquisition Quinnen Williams to the defensive line, and plugged in new linebacker Logan Wilson but they also brought back a wave of players off the injured list–linebacker DeMarvion Overshown and rookie cornerback Shavon Revel also made their season debuts.
Lost in the shuffle was the return to action of another forgotten injured player, cornerback Caelan Carson, who had his 2024 season cut short by a shoulder injury, then suffered a knee injury in training camp. He had made two appearances on special teams in October before he played 28 snaps in Week 9 against Arizona.
Coming out of the bye week, though, the corner job was Carson’s. He played all 60 snaps against the Raiders, and allowed a passer rating of 82.4 in the game. Coming into Week 12 against the Eagles, then, Carson is an important part of the revamped Cowboys defense.
Cowboys Uncertain on Trevon Diggs Return
It’s an important development, because the Cowboys secondary has mostly been a mess this season. Pro Football Focus rates them No. 29 in pass coverage in 2025, a problem that has been widely blamed on the defensive scheme being run by coordinator Matt Eberflus.
But the secondary seems to have improved in part because struggling star Trevon Diggs is no longer on the field. Diggs originally went out with a concussion after Week 6, but has since also been on the injured trying to get his knee–which he had surgery on in January–healthy.
Coach Brian Schottenheimer said Diggs is still rehabbing, and offered no clarity on his return.
“The biggest thing is, I think, he is looking really good,” Schottenheimer said. “I’m not sure where he is at, three weeks he is in. … Let’s see how he does for today. But I am really pleased. I watch from afar, we’re over there doing different things but I see how he has done. I know he is champing at the bit.”
Caelan Carson Impressed Cowboys in Week 11
But the job might not be there for him when he gets back, not if Carson keeps improving. Diggs is on a five-year, $97 million contract that still has three years remaining, so the Cowboys do not want him to lose the starting job. His knee issues, though, have been too limiting.
Meanwhile, Carson impressed. The Cowboys had been slow to get him back in the cornerback rotation because they wanted to see a better practice approach from him. That seems to be taken care of.
“When you’re talking about young players like that, when they go out and play well, they have to stack it, right? They have to go and do it again,” Schottenheimer said. “But don’t forget — which he won’t — what got you to play well. It was the urgency, it was the things we were challenging him on, and he’s taken ownership of. I think that’s really cool.”
Caelan Carson: ‘It Was Stressful’
There is some relief from Carson, too, now that he has regained a role in the Cowboys defense. Dealing with the shoulder injury, and then the knee, followed by coaches being tough on him–it was a lot.
“It was stressful,” he said. “This whole year was stressful. Coming back from injury took a toll on me mentally, and then coming back and getting injured again, then going on IR, it’s a lot of thoughts in your head. A lot of stuff going through your head.”
If, indeed, Carson keeps that stuff cleared from his head, he is likely to remain the starter–with Diggs’ role in peril.
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