Trevon Diggs says he’s healthy; Cowboys contend that isn’t the only issue holding CB back

FRISCO — Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said cornerback Trevon Diggs isn’t healthy enough to be activated off injured reserve. Diggs, meanwhile, said he’s healthy and ready to play after missing the last eight games with a head and leg injury, including Sunday night’s game against the Vikings — a game that Diggs said last week he expected to play in.

There’s a clear difference between how the two sides see the situation. Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer was asked on Monday whether Diggs is healthy enough to play — like he said — or isn’t, like the team owner indicated on Sunday night.

“I think he’s moving around well,” Schottenheimer said. “I don’t think that’s the only issue.”

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs watched the Minnesota Vikings game from the sideline...

Cowboys

Schottenheimer said that he and Diggs had a lengthy conversation on Saturday when the Cowboys decided not to activate Diggs before the Vikings game. Schottenheimer said the reasons for not activating Diggs were shared in detail.

“But more importantly for me, the expectation,” Schottenheimer said regarding the conversation he and Diggs shared and the reasoning for Diggs not playing, “and that’s not just an expectation for Trevon. OK, I’m going to make that very clear. It’s an expectation for all of our guys, and the standard is the standard and I do believe that.

“I’m not going to play a player without having a man-to-man conversation and have them not understand why. I think it’s too important. I respect them too much: what they do and what they put into it and the competitors that they all are.”

Despite Schottenheimer saying they had a conversation, Diggs said Sunday that he doesn’t know what it will take to get back on the field. Diggs believed he had a good practice week last week, which was something Schottenheimer and defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus both indicated publicly they wanted to see. He indicated that the decision is out of his hands.

“I don’t know what else I need to do. At this point I feel like it’s not up to me what I do,” Diggs said.

“I’m just showing up every day and working.”

Since taking over as head coach, Schottenheimer has been a big proponent of the team’s culture. It’s important to him. Schottenheimer was asked on Monday whether Diggs has bought into the Cowboys’ culture. Schottenheimer said yes.

“I think the biggest thing we’re trying to do is get everyone to understand how much the brotherhood matters and doing things the right way all the time matters,” Schottenheimer continued. “I think so. I think we can all be better at those things. I think I can be better at selling it at times. But again, I don’t worry about Trevon in that regard.”

If the Cowboys don’t activate Diggs from injured reserve by Saturday — a day before his 21-day window closes — then he’ll be done for the season. The Cowboys could save between $12.5 and $15.5 million in cap savings if they release Diggs after this season, based on whether they do it before June 1st or after.

At this point, it’s not only a question of whether Diggs plays this year, but if he ever plays for the Cowboys again.

Twitter/X: @JoeJHoyt

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