On one hand, Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs has been a star for the team, a two-time Pro Bowler who racked up 11 interceptions in 2021 and parlayed that into a five-year, $97 million mega-contract back in 2023, when he was the fifth-highest paid corner in the NFL. On name alone, Diggs is a guy you want on the roster.
But the reality of Diggs, on the other hand, has been very different. He has been battered by injuries in his last two seasons, and had a graft operation on his knee back in January. The knee has not been right all year.
And Diggs, more generally, has not been right all year. He struggled to adjust to the new defense of coordinator Matt Eberflus, and complained publicly about the lack of man coverage in the scheme. But, fact was, Diggs was struggling to maintain his standard whether in man or zone, and rated a Pro Football Focus grade of 58.7, which is just 66th among corners in the NFL.
Diggs has been out for more than a month now, though–and the Cowboys say he still won’t be back this week, either.
Trevon Diggs Remains on Cowboys Injured Reserve
When Diggs suffered a concussion, then, in an accident at his home back before Week 7, the Cowboys decided to take the opportunity to reset Diggs altogether. They put him in injured reserve, meaning he would be required to sit out at least four games, with the hope being that while he was getting his noggin right, he would also have a break to get his knee right.
Diggs was eligible to come off IR before last week, but the team declined to do so. He has not yet had his three-week practice window opened.
Coach Brian Schottenheimer says that is not happening this week, with just four days to prepare for the Chiefs.
“He’s doing better,” Schottenheimer said Monday. “One of the issues this week is that it’s a short week. Again, we’ll see what everybody does, but short weeks are a little harder. He’s doing everything best, and has a really good look on his face.”
Trevon Diggs May Have Lost Job
There is the question, too, of whether the Cowboys are all that eager to have Diggs back. In his place, certainly in the past two weeks, the defense has excelled, and Dallas’s coverage unit has not missed him much. The Cowboys have gotten two younger cornerbacks–second-year man Caelan Carson and rookie Shavon Revel–back in the fold in that span.
Both players are getting their feet wet. But there are indications that even if Diggs gets healthy quickly, his job might not be waiting for him when he comes back.
Cowboys Seeking Consistency From Corners
That could depend on Diggs, and how he looks in practice. He has been running on the side, Schottenheimer said, and the Cowboys coach insists he looks good. But if Carson wins the job, he will be tough to displace.
Already, the Cowboys made a bold move to cut ties with former starter Kaiir Elam. They’ve been serious about shaking up the defense.
As Schottenheimer said of Carson: “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. 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.”
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