After their recent three-game winning streak, which included victories over the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, the Dallas Cowboys appeared to have a real shot at making the NFL playoffs this season. In fact, some felt they had become a very dangerous team.
But they were dealt a reality check on Thursday in the form of a 44-30 loss to the Detroit Lions on Thursday. They now have a 6-6-1 record, and they will likely have to win out to even have a shot at the postseason.
That means it may be time for Cowboys fans to start turning their attention to next season and what the team’s roster could look like. There has been plenty of talk about whether the squad will retain wide receiver George Pickens, who is having an outstanding season, but according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, it also isn’t a foregone conclusion that star cornerback Trevon Diggs will be back either.
“The Cowboys drafted cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. in April, and while Diggs has three years and $57 million left on his contract, none of that money is guaranteed,” Graziano wrote. “The Cowboys would incur just $5.88 million in dead money if they released him.
“Diggs has been working his way back from injury and still has a chance to show enough over the rest of the season to convince Dallas to keep him. But at this point, it’s no sure thing that they do.”
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Diggs has been out for nearly two months due to a knee injury and a concussion. He was designated to return to practice this week, but he was ruled out for Thursday’s game.
As recently as three years ago, he was a big-time star, as he was named to the Pro Bowl in 2021 and 2022 and had 21 passes defended and an NFL-high 11 interceptions in 2021. But since then, he has dealt with a number of injuries, and his overall game has declined, particularly this season.
In six games this season, he has yet to record a single pass defended or interception. Last year, he had 11 passes defended and two interceptions.
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If this season really is Diggs’ swan song in Dallas, at least the team can look forward to having fellow starting cornerback DaRon Bland for a while. Bland has recorded five passes defended, one interception and three tackles for loss in 11 games, and he signed a four-year, $92 million contract extension in August.
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