In what was an unquestionably bad break for the Cowboys and for star defensive back Trevon Diggs, the star defensive back went down again ahead of Week 15 with a season-ending knee injury, after having missed all but two games in 2023 with a torn ACL.
That raised some questions about what, exactly, happened with Diggs, both in his rehab over the last year and throughout the course of this season. as veteran Cowboys beat reporter Calvin Hill said, “I can tell you that the Cowboys were not happy with the way he (Trevon Diggs) attacked his rehab.”
It would make sense that the Cowboys point the finger at Diggs. The team paid him a five-year, $97 million contract before last year, and now have yet to get a full season out of him for the second year in a row.
The injury could set up a drastic move on the Cowboys’ part–cutting Diggs. According to Spotrac, the Cowboys have an out clause on Diggs, after this season, which will cap his deal at $33 million and leave a dead-cap hit of $12.75 million. Perhaps the team was pointing the finger at Diggs as a set-up for eventually cutting him.
No matter the motivation or source of the report from Hill, Micah Parsons was not happy about any of it. “It really hurts me because I seen Tre suffer,” Parsons said on his podcast, “The Edge” this week.
Micah Parsons: ‘What Could He Have Done?’
Parsons lashed out at the report from Hill, and whomever it was with the Cowboys who told Hill that Diggs’ rehab was underwhelming:
“I seen the work he was putting in. So, to me, when people were talking about his rehab, Tre came back early from his ACL. He didn’t even miss a game in the season. We lost him in Week 3 of last year and we got him back in the beginning of camp. For people to say his rehab—Tre came back right. I think missed, like, the first week of camp, but by the end of camp, he was out there. Week 1, he had and interception. He looked like regular old Tre. He was out there practicing hard, working hard. …
“With his rehab, what could he have done with the injury he sustained? The cartilage had broke down. It was a cartilage issue that had broke down. It bothers me when people question the Trevon Diggs narrative or his rehab, how hard does he want to work, does he want to be there? Because I don’t know a guy who wants to be there more. When he’s talking to me and we’re talking about our futures and our lives, it’s always been about us, me and him, being here, Cowboys.”
Cowboys Say They Expect Trevon Diggs Back
On Monday this week, Cowboys VP Stephen Jones gave no indication of dissatisfaction with Diggs. He had two interceptions on the season, with 11 passes broken up in 11 games. Jones did say that Diggs probably will not be available for training camp next season, but did not hint that the team might let him go, either.
It’s worth noting, though, that at Pro Football Focus, Diggs had a grade of 56.6, which was 87th out of 118 corners, his lowest grade of his career.
“He was doing everything he can because he wants to play, he wants to compete, and he wants to contribute,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan radio in Dallas.
