FRISCO, Texas – The murkiness surrounding Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs (knee) and the Dallas Cowboys amid his extended injured reserve stint is beginning to clear.
He spoke to the media for the first time in weeks, and the 2021 NFL interceptions leader stated he is ready to play and anticipates being on the field for “Sunday Night Football” against the Minnesota Vikings. Dallas officially lists Diggs as questionable to play on Sunday after being limited in practice all week.
“I being ready though,” Diggs said. “I think our intensity level to make this playoff push and play for each other [led to a great week of practice]. … I feel really healthy. I feel really healthy this time around, so I’m just going to go out there, give it 100% that I can and we’ll see what happens.”
Dallas ruled Diggs out the Friday before Week 7 against the Washington Commanders after he suffered a concussion in an accident at home. When he was in concussion protocol, the Cowboys placed him on injured reserve due to reaggravating his knee, and he hasn’t played since, missing the last seven games.
The team opened Diggs’ 21-day practice window to work his way back from injured reserve on Nov. 30, and he has until Dec. 20 at 4 p.m. to be activated. If he isn’t activated by that deadline, Diggs will remain on IR and won’t return this season.
“It’s hard, it’s definitely been hard,” Diggs shared about his long absence. “People feel how they feel. You just got to roll with the punches and keep pushing forward.”
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer’s comments about Diggs’ situation have been more optimistic lately. He emphasized the importance of “consistency” and doing “everything the right way” as keys for Diggs’ return this past week.
“Doing well, having a good week. We’ll see how today goes, and again excited to see how he finishes the week,” Cowboys coach Schottenheimer said before practice on Friday. “Well number one, I don’t just talk about that [consistency] with Trevon. I talk about the word consistency in a lot of things. It’s my favorite word that I use with you guys. Why? Because to sustain success and win in this league, you need to be consistent.”
The 27-year-old began fully trusting his knee just last week, but he understands the coaching staff’s emphasis on his performance might be why he wasn’t activated for Week 14 against the Detroit Lions.
“Last week. Yeah, last week I felt good to play. I didn’t get a lot of practice though, so that could also be the issue,” Diggs explained. “I feel like I got a lot of reps in this week and a lot of practice in. It’s going to be a good week.”
Quarterback Dak Prescott has played a supportive role for Diggs, offering encouragement and feedback from the coaching staff about what they hope to see.
“I would say my role that’s come in is more of just being optimistic, being the motivator in that sense. Knowing what he’s been going through, knowing how much he wants to play,” Prescott clarified Thursday.
Diggs’ return is imminent as he aims to play a critical role in the Cowboys’ push for the playoffs, with their chances currently at only 11.9% according to CBS’s SportsLine model.
