The hits just keep coming for the Dallas Cowboys. In a season ravaged by injuries, the team just got hit with another tough blow as starting cornerback Trevon Diggs will now miss the action.
The rookie was hurt late in the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and was seen on the sidelines as his replacement Savion Smith was picked on by Ben Roethlisberger in the 24-19 Week 9 loss.
Not much was known about how long Diggs would be out at the time of his exit, but, when a player doesn’t come back on the field after they leave with an injury, the results are usually not good news.
Now that the details have emerged, it is indeed bad news for the Dallas defense. Diggs broke a bone in his foot and is expected to miss significant time.
The four to six weeks diagnosis actually leaves time for Diggs to return for the final few games of the season, but why take any chances with the talented rookie?
With seven weeks remaining in the Cowboys’ season, and with the team likely out of playoff contention, it’s difficult to see Diggs returning until 2021.
This is a rough one for the Cowboys, who would have loved to get the rookie CB as many snaps as possible. Adjusting to life in the NFL is tough for any position, but the learning curve for corners is even steeper. Diggs had some rough patches in the first half of his season but he’s kept acclimating and the past few games have been his best.
Dallas’ defense will have to absorb another loss to one of their top players. Diggs has struggled at times, but he’s also been one of their better pieces from a unit that has taken its lumps. The rookie out of Alabama leads the team in interceptions (2), passes defended (10) and is second in tackles (48), so his presence will be missed.
Diggs makes for the fifth Cowboys starter on defense to miss time, joining defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, linebackers See Lee and Leighton Vander Esch, and cornerbacks Anthony Brown and Chidobe Awuzie.
Ironically, the secondary was about to get whole again with Awuzie set to return after the bye week. The 2020 season had other plans for the Cowboys and they’ll be shorthanded at cornerback once again.
There is some decent news about the injury, however. According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, Diggs didn’t experience a breakage to his fifth metatarsal and he won’t require surgery.
When an injury such as this happens to the fifth metatarsal, it can be a bigger issue. Known as the Jones fracture, it can take longer to recover from and some players are never the same, as former Cowboys wideout Dez Bryant can attest.
So, while missing Diggs for potentially the remainder of the season is a blow, it’s a positive that he doesn’t have the dreaded Jones fracture and the Cowboys – and their fans – can let out a collective sigh of relief knowing that it is an injury that Diggs should fully recover from.
This is a setback for Trevon Diggs and the Cowboys as the young corner could have used a full season of game experience in a down year. These missed repetitions are irreplaceable for a rookie cornerback.
However, there’s no need to bring Diggs back with a game or two left and risk further injury. Expect to see Diggs play again next season with a solid, albeit truncated rookie season under his belt.
Hopefully, he’ll be back when Dallas is in a better position to compete for the postseason.
Do you think the Cowboys will be able to manage the loss of Trevon Diggs in the coming weeks? Share your thoughts with Ben Grimaldi on Twitter @BenGrimaldi.
