One of the worrisome issues that emerged over the course of Cowboys training camp (obviously not No. 1 on the list) was the fact that a Dallas roster thin on depth was getting considerably thinner because of injuries. Two in particular stood out: the continuing knee rehab of star corner Trevon Diggs as well as the knee injury suffered by starting left tackle Tyler Guyton.
Diggs’ return is based off a surgery he had in January. Guyton suffered his knee injury–a fractured bone and a ligament sprain–early in training camp. There was good news on Tuesday as the two players participated in practice ahead of Thursday’s opener against the Eagles, and came out of the session unscathed.
“Yeah, I think trending in the right way,” coach Brian Schottenheimer said via the Dallas Morning News. “We got our meeting with the training staff after the practice today, but both guys are working their butts off to try and get back and be ready to go.”
Trevon Diggs, Tyler Guyton Backups Are Untested
Tuesday marked the second full day of participation in practice for both Guyton and Diggs, obviously a good sign with the opener looming. Guyton told reporters he had no setbacks and Diggs said he was 75-80% ready to play with two days to go before a decision must be made.
It’s a steep drop-off behind them.
If Guyton can’t go, the Cowboys’ unofficial depth chart lists 2024 seventh-round pick Nate Thomas as the second-stringer. Thomas did not appear in a game in 2024 so could make his debut against Philadelphia.
Nine-year veteran CJ Goodwin is listed as Diggs’ backup. Despite Goodwin’s long stint with the Cowboys (seven seasons), he has played just 62 actual defensive snaps in his career, serving almost exclusively as a special teams defender.
Cowboys Need to Consider Entire Season
The Cowboys need both Diggs and Guyton, but they need the pair for 17 weeks, not just the opener. There is added pressure on the team to get off to a good start in the wake of the Micah Parsons trade, but they can’t afford to risk further injury.
It will be a difficult decision whether to get them on the field against the defending champs.
“Big raves about them and their competitive spirit and just the work that it takes,” Schottenheimer said. “These things don’t happen overnight. Trevon is a guy, really truly, when he came back, he started working closely with Britt (Brown) and the trainers. He just took huge leaps and strides. And so proud of him (and) the way he’s attacked this injury and how bad he wants to get out there and play.”
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