Why Trevon Diggs missed the Dallas Cowboys’ game on Sunday remains an unknown, or at least unreported, but this is on path to be memorable for the wrong reasons.
This is gonna be good, which is not going to be good.
Immediately after the Cowboys’ 44-22 win over Washington, both the coach and the owner/GM/president/chief scout were positively vague about the status of their Pro Bowl cornerback, who missed the game because of a concussion suffered in the home last week.
The Cowboys only know what Diggs told them what happened. And, according to team officials, they weren’t thrilled about it.
“He said what happened; I’m not saying that it didn’t happen, but a lot of times you’re not the best viewer of what happened to you,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told the media horde after the game. “Someone else may have had a better look. Bottom line is I do expect him back.”
Maybe Diggs fell after replacing one of those ceiling light bulbs. Perhaps this is tub-caulking gone wrong. It’s possible the dog got off the leash.
According to the National Safety Council, the data on injuries suffered in the home is no joke. Only a pro football game, or commercial fishing in the North Atlantic, may be a more dangerous place to be than in your own house.
Or, maybe what happened is Diggs sustained an injury by doing something that is a violation of his contract and he’d rather not tell the gory details.
“We normally would see how [an injury] would happen,” Jones said. “In this case, it was in the home and unrecorded.”
TMZ, get on it.
No Diggs, no problem. None at all
Whatever the specifics, Sunday’s performance by the Cowboys’ defense was their best of the season, and we are watching the final stages of Diggs’ tenure with the team. He is their highest-paid player on defense, and there was zero drop in performance without him.
“I don’t want to say that we didn’t miss him out there today,” Jones said. “That’s not fair.”
Not fair, but dead-on accurate.
“That was a fluke situation,” Jones said. “Certainly not expecting Trevon to be out long.”
Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland (26) returns an interception for a TD in a blowout win over Washington on Sunday in Arlington. Bland thrived while Trevon Diggs missed the game with a concussion. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
Shortly after the injury was announced Friday, no less than three dozen conspiracy theories popped to explain this odd absence. There are “reports” that Diggs listed his house for sale. Do not believe he was deported by ICE, although that one may need to be verified, just to be on the safe side.
After the game, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer offered no new information about the injury. He did not say if Diggs would be available for the Cowboys’ next game, at Denver on Oct. 26; Diggs will have to clear NFL protocols, etc.
“I’m a Trevon fan,” Schottenheimer said. “I’m excited to get him back, and hopefully it won’t be too long.”
There is some thought that what the Cowboys are doing now is a cheap ruse to protect Diggs from sustaining a real injury in a game as they explore potential trade options. These sorts of stunts are common in the NBA, NHL and MLB.
No NFL team will trade for Trevon Diggs
The Cowboys could not trade Diggs for an empty bag of used trash bags. He is not a terrible player, but this is about return on the contract, and noise. No team is taking on the remaining years of a contract that balloons from $14.5 million in 2026 to $20 million in 2028.
Expect Diggs to speak on it after he’s cleared to return. To the Cowboys. This season.
After this season is over, don’t expect Diggs to be on the team.
Diggs has not been the same since he suffered the season-ending torn ACL in practice after the second game of the regular season in 2023. He’s never been the most physical player, and where he was so effective was in man coverage where he could set up plays to break on the ball.
The injury affected that ability.
The injury was just a bad break, and other than a game or two, he has never returned to the state when he was one of the top playmaking, ball-hawking corners in the NFL in 2021.
When he was an interception machine, and his adorable young son was a TV star for HBO’s “Hard Knocks” cameras.
But injuries happen, and he’s had to deal with two major ones, in ‘23 and ‘24. At least he got his contract.
This current injury sounds like something that is a result of something unfortunate away from the game, which is why everyone is being so cryptic.
It’s probably something a tad embarrassing at least. At worst, it’s potentially a violation of his contract.
Expect the explanation to be a “good one.”
But the harsh truth is he is the highest-paid player on the Dallas Cowboys’ defense, and in their best game of the season, they didn’t miss him at all.