As the Dallas Cowboys and Brian Schottenheimer figure out which players belong on the 53-man roster, they got some positive news on Sunday. Cornerback Trevon Diggs has passed his physical and moved off the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, and is now on the active roster.
This news comes a day after Schottenheimer spoke to the media, saying Diggs would likely open the year on the 53 versus needing to stay on the PUP list. After Diggs returned to the field last year from a knee injury that kept him out almost the entire 2023 season, his follow-up campaign ended with another knee injury that would require another offseason of rehab.
Diggs decided that the best course of action for his recovery would be to work with his trainers down in South Florida at Alkeme Sports Rx with Dr. Shariff Tabbah. The star cornerback was not seen around the facility for the offseason workouts, which cost him $500,000. Diggs was confident his decision was in his best interest, even if the front office did not feel the same.
While the news is a positive step forward for No. 7, there is some uncertainty about whether he will be ready to take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1. The Cowboys have had depth issues at cornerback all throughout training camp, with the majority of their players missing time outside of DaRon Bland and Kaiir Elam. Diggs himself said that Week 2 or 3 is his personal target to get back on the field, so he still may need a ramp-up period to get ready that goes past opening night.
If Diggs is able to make it back healthy enough to play against Philly, the cornerback position looks a lot better with Diggs and Elam on the outside and Bland covering the slot. If he’s not able to make it back, then having just one week of Elam, Bland, and possibly Andrew Booth might be Dallas’ “best case scenario” given the situation.
The decisions regarding who will be cut from the final roster will be made known in just a few days. Todd Archer of ESPN noted in his projection of the 53-man roster that, despite Diggs being on the active roster, “the Cowboys are likely to be aggressive in finding help at this position.” They may pursue free agents or attempt to claim players released by other teams. Regardless, Diggs’s earlier-than-expected availability is a significant boost for a team with high aspirations under its first-year head coach.
0 CommentsSee More:
