Trevon Diggs is inching closer to getting back on the field.
Dan Quinn's game plan was so bad that nothing could have saved the Dallas Cowboys' defense in their playoff loss against the Green Bay Packers. However, having Trevon Diggs would have helped as Jordan Love ripped open Dallas' secondary to the tune of 272 passing yards and three touchdowns.
The Cowboys' vision of deploying Diggs, Stephon Gilmore and DaRon Bland at cornerback never manifested as Diggs suffered a torn ACL in practice leading up to Week 3. Gilmore and Bland still turned in strong seasons, but Diggs' presence would have made everyone's life easier on the defense.
With Gilmore unlikely to return in 2024, Diggs will be counted on heavily in his first year back from knee surgery. So where is the All-Pro cornerback at in his rehab?
Mike McCarthy revealed as much in his first media availability during OTAs, as well as injury updates on promising second-year players DeMarvion Overshown and John Stephens Jr.
Cowboys get injury updates on Trevon Diggs, DeMarvion Overshown and John Stephens Jr.
"They look great," McCarthy said of the injured trio, via the team's official website. "It's really staying on time with the process. Trevon, he's out there, he's hitting [rehab] four days a week…I know (DBs coach and assistant head coach) Al Harris is spending time with him when he's here."
It's no surprise that Diggs still has restrictions, but it's encouraging he isn't a non-participant at OTAs. That would sound alarms. It's unclear if Diggs will be fully cleared for the start of training camp, but the important thing is that he hasn't suffered any setbacks and appears on time with his rehab.
The same cannot be said for second-year linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, but not for the reason you might think.
"Overshown actually looks really good," McCarthy said. "It's respecting the timeline. If I was a doctor, which I'm not, I would say he's a little ahead of schedule."
DeMarvion Overshown expects to make an impact in his return from torn ACL. https://t.co/rGs4VqhLb1
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) May 27, 2024
It seems like Overshown has a better shot than Diggs of being a full participant at training camp, though we wouldn't rush to conclusions. Regardless, this update is huge for the Cowboys as Overshown figures to play a huge role as an off-ball linebacker in Mike Zimmer's defense.
Like Overshown, John Stephens Jr. is ahead of schedule, per tight ends coach Lunda Wells. Stephens suffered a torn ACL during the preseason as he looked primed to make the 53-man roster as an undrafted free agent.
Stephens brings a different profile to the TE room. If he's able to return early into training camp, odds are he'll make a strong case for a roster spot.
Diggs, Overshown and Stephens still have one major hurdle to clear in their recoveries, but Cowboys fans couldn't have asked for better updates on the trio in the infancy stage of the offseason program.
