FRISCO, Texas – And over the next three days, by 3 p.m. Saturday we should find out if Trevon Diggs will play another down this season with the Cowboys.
That is because his allotted 21-day practice window on return from injured reserve will expire on Saturday, and if the Cowboys do not place their sixth-year cornerback on the 53-man roster by then he must remain on IR for the remaining three games of the season. And remember, to fit Diggs onto the 53-man roster the Cowboys would be required to release a player to make room
Now Diggs Wednesday is listed on the official injury report as limited with a knee and is something he has been trying to overcome ever since having been placed on IR Dec. 21 of last year and undergoing a complicated knee surgery following the season. And this after returning the previous season following spending all but two games of the 2023 season on IR after tearing his ACL in the other knee. And now that knee is the one that's been bothering him, experiencing some degenerative effects.
Remember the Cowboys have been highly disappointed Diggs did not rehabilitate from his latest knee surgery this offseason with the Cowboys training staff, ending up enacting a clause in his $9 million base salary that would deduct $500,000 for not doing so at the team facility under the team's trainers. The Cowboys believed a lack of participation at The Star affected his ability to re ready for training camp, then not passing his physical until Aug. 24. Diggs began the season playing on a limited basis the first four games before starting the next two, playing 100 percent of those snaps.
But the next week Diggs was inactive, claiming suffering an undisclosed head injury at home, and then placed on IR. He has been listed as limited (knee) since he began practice the past two weeks.
Diggs has maintained he is ready to resume playing while the Cowboys have consistently pinpointed his "inconsistencies" on and off the practice field for this latest inactivity. This should come to a head for this season by Saturday. Either he's active or continues to sit, each game he misses this season, and it's been eight so far, costs him an active roster bonus in his contract worth $58,000 a game.
- Fake This: The Cowboys began the Vikings game mighty aggressive, and while having to settle for six field goal attempts, they passed on as seventh on the fourth offensive play of the game when facing a fourth-and-4 at the Vikings 29, even though lining up for a highly makeable 47-yard field goal attempt from Brandon Aubrey. But knowing they would need to score touchdowns in this game, the Cowboys executed a well-designed fake, holder Bryan Anger flipping the ball over his head to a cutting Aubrey behind him for a six-yard gain and first down. Anger says the Cowboys have been repping that fake for quite some time, waiting for the right situation and defensive "look" to call for the athletic Aubrey to get the ball. Plus, as good as Aubrey has been all season long, who is going to suspect the Cowboys would not just take what's become assumed an automatic three points. Plus, Aubrey's soccer background, having learned to slide block the ball, allowed him to safely slide down once he had gained the needed four yards. That play allowed the Cowboys to drive the remaining 23 yards for the game's opening touchdown
- Steady Flo: This occurred to me when seeing yesterday the Arizona Cardinals signed former Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Brooks off the practice squad onto their 53-man roster. That's right Brooks went to training camp with the Cowboys until cutting him on Oct. 24. Brooks started the season on IR and played just one game before being released. But that brings me to Ryan Flournoy. When training camp began, thinking here was the wide receivers on the totem pole ahead of him: CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Jalen Tolbert, KaVonte Turpin, Jonathan Mingo and Jalen Brooks, who caught 12 passes for 177 yards in 2024. But now, 4½ months later, and judging from his production the past four games – 16 catches, 189 yards, 1 TD, I would think that list now is Lamb, Pickens, Flournoy, since the second-year player from Southeast Missouri State ranks third among Cowboys receivers with 33 catches and his 389 receiving yards, fourth on the entire team behind the two starters and TE Jake Ferguson. Bodes well for 2026 for sure.
- Sound The Bugle: That is for the Chargers, who are, sorry, can't resist, charging on in the AFC West, coming into AT&T Stadium on a three-game winning streak, having gone from 7-4 to 10-4, second in the AFC West, and tied with Buffalo for the second best record in the AFC among non-division leaders for one of those three wildcard spots. Which is a tribute to their defense, not having scored more than 22 points in three of their past four games, just six in the loss to Jacksonville, then 22 in the OT win over the Eagles and 16 in the win over Kansas City. In fact, in those three games they have combined for just two touchdowns, kicking 10 field goals with Cameron Dicker and scoring 44 points, wining two of those three, beating the Raiders 31-14 for that other win.
- OT: And that's not for overtime with the Cowboys, that's for offensive tackle, and from the looks of things this early in the week, they might once against be without starter Tyler Guyton (ankle) for the fourth consecutive game. Now second-year tackle Nate Thomas has started the past three games, giving him just four NFL starts, but he was forced out of this past game against the Viking in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury, replaced by Hakeem Adeniji for the final two series, 13 plays. Though Thomas was listed as fully practicing on Wednesday (shoulder), he was wearing an ice wrap afterward in the locker room. If Thomas has problems with that shoulder, with Guyton likely still out and Adeniji struggling, that could create a tackle shortage.
- Quick Fix: When Cowboys Pro Bowl guard Tyler Smith momentarily left the Vikings game after getting thumbed in his eye, figuring mighty painful since that likely was a big defensive lineman's thumb, the quick fix was on the way. The equipment staff immediately put a shield on the face of his helmet for added protection to prevent any more damage or irritation.
- Sack Patrol: This must change in a hurry. The Cowboys have registered but one sack over the past two games and barely touched Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy, no sacks and but one QB hit. If the defense is to slow down Chargers Justin Herbert, they better get after him just as the Chargers past four opponents have. Herbert in the past four games, a loss to Jacksonville and three consecutive wins over win the Raiders, Eagles and Chiefs, has been sacked 16 times and suffered 33 QB hits. That's a pounding and if the Cowboys know what's good for them, they better be pounding Sunday afternoon.
- Persistent Malik: Got to have a great appreciation for Cowboys running back Malik Davis, nearly last running back standing against the Vikings after starter Javonte Williams suffered a shoulder sprain, playing just 29 snaps, and then fullback Hunter Luepke leaving the game in concussion protocol. After the Cowboys signed the second year running back as a future's free agent on Jan 8, he has been released three times, signed to the practice squad twice, signed to the 53 and later released, elevated from the practice squad to the gameday roster the maximum three times and then signed to the 53 again for the past four games. Why in the seven games he's played Davis rushed for 124 yards on 24 carries, two touchdowns and one of those the memorable 43-yarder. He can remember back in August when he wasn't on a team that "I prayed for it, prayed for God to get me on a team and just help a team," he says. "Just at home chilling, praying every day." Consider those prayers answered.
- Stocking Suffers: The Cowboys returned to practice Wednesday missing five players out with injuries, one of those, OT Guyton still rehabbing on the side, and two of the more serious injured, DT Quinnen Williams and fullback Hunter Luepke still in concussion protocol . . . See where Cowboys orthopedic surgeon Dr. Dan Cooper, highly respected around the country for his ACL repairs, performed Patrick Mahomes surgery this week in Dallas, repairing his torn ACL and LCL knee ligaments . . . The Cowboys started the 21-day return from reserve lists practice window for CB Josh Butler, DE Payton Turner and rookie RB Phil Mafah . . .For Butler, Wednesday was his first practice since the days leading up to last season's Thanksgiving Day game when tearing his ACL and landing on IR Dec. 9 . . . And for our weekly stat, the Cowboys totaled 423 yards against the Vikings, the eighth time more than 400 this season, averaging 396.9 a game, still No. 1 in the NFL and fourth in points at 29 a game.
And for this week's final word, let's go back to Tuesday to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones when asked on his weekly Tuesday morning 105.3 The Fan segment about the future status of defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, knowing the Cowboys defense is ranked 29th in total defense, 32nd against the pass and 31st in points allowed, the past two games giving 78 total in the two losses certainly not helping that ranking.
And when asked if the final three games of the season could have an effect on Eberflus' future with the team, Jerry said, "Well that should be a big criteria because these three games are vital to us, they are important to us, we don't play a game that is not important to us. It's vital to these players. They're part of the team here that can get out here and rally when you got the opportunity to have some good things happen, you should take it because I've seen it happen.
"But yes, how we play over these next few weeks will be a big criteria because I think really we are at one of the peaks of our healthiness right now, and so if we can step out there . . . if we can step out there and have three good games, I think that all should go on the decision making."
And that likely goes for everyone else involved.
