Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs Set To Have Season-Ending Surgery

9:53pm: As the mainstream media catches up with the early reports, we have begun to collect more information about the nature of Diggs’ injury. According to Jeremy Fowler at ESPN, “Diggs is dealing with a knee cartilage issue.” In recent weeks, the 26-year-old reportedly experienced some swelling, leading to further evaluations and the eventual decision to shut him down for the remainder of the season.

2:39pm: The Cowboys cannot seem to escape the bad injury luck this season. The newest example of this sees cornerback Trevon Diggs set to undergo season-ending knee surgery, per Jay Glazer of FOX Sports. While several reports have been made detailing the Cowboys’ decision to downgrade Diggs to “out” for this week, Glazer and ESPN’s Todd Archer seem to be the only ones at the moment reporting on the potential surgery.

The former-second round pick out of Alabama is in his fifth year of NFL play and the first year of his five-year, $97MM extension. The highly touted defensive back earned first-team All-Pro honors in his sophomore campaign and Pro Bowl honors in both 2021 and 2022. His most prolific season in 2021 saw him lead the league in interceptions (11), interception return yards (142), and interceptions returned for touchdowns (2).

Diggs has not been able to replicate that insane production in the years since and the analytics at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) has never favored him as one of the league’s best at the position, unlike his teammate DaRon Bland, who had a prolific season of his own just last year. Another limiting factor of late has been a difficulty for Diggs to remain on the field. Diggs missed nearly all of last year with a torn ACL. This season, he has battled a torn calf while also missing two recent games with designations of groin and knee injuries. Archer claims that the surgery to repair his ACL tear from last year has held up and that the new surgery is unrelated.

With the surgery, Diggs is likely to join the 12 other players Dallas has on injured reserve including key contributors like defensive ends DeMarcus Lawrence and Sam Williams, guard Zack Martin, and, of course, quarterback Dak Prescott. That’s not to mention players like Bland, wide receiver Brandin Cooks, and defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, who recently found their way off of IR.

The Cowboys don’t have much left to fight for in the 2024 NFL season. While they haven’t yet been eliminated from the playoffs, they likely would need to win out and expect some help from others in order to get to the postseason. With the likelihood of a playoff appearance seeming extremely low, it makes sense not to force players back who may end up needing surgery and time to recover. The team has yet to disclose the specifics or severity of Diggs’ knee injury, but per Ed Werder of WFAA, it appears to be significant.

The injury is a disappointing one for Dallas, who just recently saw Bland return. In the last two years, the Cowboys have only seen Bland and Diggs on the field together for three games and only one in which they both started. Like last year, Bland will pick up the immediate slack of Diggs’ absence, while the team will continue piecing together the solution at the other cornerback position.

Jourdan Lewis has started nine games, but he plays primarily in a nickelback role. Rookie fifth-round pick Caelen Carson had started five games but currently resides on IR, himself. Reserves like Josh Butler, Amani Oruwariye, and Andrew Booth will likely be relied upon as injuries continue to decimate America’s Team.