NFL Week 15 overreactions
USA TODAY’s Prince Grimes breaks down the best storylines from NFL Week 15.
Sports Seriously
With the Dallas Cowboys transitioning into “wait until next year” mode, fans will learn more about the future of cornerback Trevon Diggs this week, as Dallas has until Saturday to decide whether to play him this week against the Los Angeles Chargers or shelve him for the season.
Speculation is that he’ll never play for Dallas again, and when Jerry Jones says “no comment,” something is likely afoot.
Quinnen Williams’ status for this week is also up in the air for a more traditional reason: he is in concussion protocol. And speaking of next year, who is Dallas going to be playing in 2026?
We have most of the answers to that. Here is Dallas’ day:
Trevon Diggs status
The Dallas Cowboys situation with cornerback Trevon Diggs is coming to a head, as his 21-day evaluation window closes on Saturday. When a player is activated from the injured reserve, a team has 21 days to evaluate him before either activating him to the gameday roster or putting him on season-ending injured reserve.
Diggs has indicated he’s ready to play and says he’s been practicing well since returning from a mystery concussion three weeks ago. Dallas coach Brian Schottenheimer indicated he still has some hurdles to clear before reaching the field, and when owner Jerry Jones was asked about reports that there is friction between Diggs and the organization, he replied with a “no comment.”
Diggs led the NFL in interceptions in 2021 and was a first-team all-pro, but has been in marked decline since and the Cowboys are widely speculated to be ready to move on from him.
At any rate, Diggs was asked about being on the sidelines but not playing against Minnesota Sunday night and he replied, “”I thought I was going to come out here and play,” Diggs told reporters after Sunday’s game, “but they felt otherwise. And that’s just what it was.
“It’s pretty difficult. Of course, I want to be out there. I want to help these guys win games. I want to help these guys put up numbers. I want to just help these guys. These are my brothers. These are guys I’ve been with for my whole career, so I want to be out there with them.”
Schottenhiemer’s explanation: “There’s a reason it’s a three-week ramp-up period, and it takes time,” Schottenheimer said in his postgame press conference. “I know he feels healthy and he feels ready to play. We obviously felt a little bit different.”
He elaborated: “Different things. Consistency, I think I’ve been very honest about that. With all of our players, there’s things that they need to do from a consistency standpoint to make us feel good about putting them out there. I know he felt like he wanted to play and he felt like he was ready to play. We made a decision as a team, and I made a decision, and we went a different direction. So we’ll see how this week goes.”
Here is how Jones chimed in: “Diggs isn’t healthy enough to be out there for us. Period. Did everybody hear that? I said he’s not healthy enough for us to put him out there.”
Then he was asked about a report that the relationship between Diggs and the organization has “soured” and “been severed.”
“No comment,” said Jones, who rarely gives that answer.
For what it’s worth (a lot), Diggs signed a 5-year, $97 million contract extension with the Dallas Cowboys in July 2023, keeping him under contract through 2028. Releasing or trading Diggs after June 1, 2026, could free up more than $15 million in salary cap space.
Cowboys DT Quinnen Williams suffered two head injuries against the Vikings. He returned from the first one. He will begin the week in concussion protocol.
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) December 15, 2025Quinnen Williams injury
Per reports, Dallas defensive tackle Quinnen Williams sustained a head injury against Minnesota, was cleared in the medical tent, returned to the game, then sustained a concussion.
He is now in concussion protocol. Last week at this time CeeDee Lamb was in the protocol and was eventually cleared to play against Minnesota, but he had two more days to recover (his concussion was on Thursday Night Football). Also, Dallas games the rest of the year don’t mean much anymore.
Dallas Cowboys 2026 schedule
With the 2025 season almost in the books, Dallas fans can start looking toward next year. While the 2026 schedule won’t be released until May (it was May 14 this year), most of the opponents and locations are already known.
Dallas will play the NFC West, the strongest division in football this year, the AFC South and one to-be-determined team from the AFC North.
This assumes Dallas finishes second in the NFC East.
Cowboys 2026 Home Opponents (9)New York GiantsPhiladelphia EaglesWashington CommandersArizona CardinalsSan Francisco 49ersJacksonville JaguarsTennessee TitansNFC South No. 2: That will be the second team of this group: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7), Carolina Panthers (7-7) or Atlanta Falcons (5-9)AFC North No. 2: Whoever is worse, Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6) or Baltimore Ravens (7-7)Cowboys 2026 Road Opponents (8)New York GiantsPhiladelphia EaglesWashington CommandersLos Angeles RamsSeattle SeahawksHouston TexansIndianapolis ColtsNFC North No. 2: That will be the second team of this group: Chicago Bears (10-4), Green Bay Packers (9-4-1), Detroit Lions (8-6)When do the Cowboys play again?
The Dallas Cowboys host the Los Angeles Chargers at AT&T Stadium, at 11 a.m. MT/noon CT on Sunday, Dec. 21. The game will be televised on FOX.
Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus
The defensive coordinator is still Matt Eberflus. He was the head coach of the Bears when they were one of the worst teams in the league last season. The Bears are 10-4 now, so there is a track record of getting better when Eberflus is fired.
Jones was asked about Eberflus’ job status and didn’t give a ringing endorsement.
“The adjustments that we should be making (defensively) should be with these next three games in mind,” Jones said, per The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “With three games left in the short time that we’ve got to play them in, then that will impact any adjustments that you make regarding coaching with the time frame we’re dealing with. That’s a legit question.”
Dallas Cowboys record
The Dallas Cowboys are 6-7-1.
Dallas Cowboys blanket
The Dallas Cowboys store has a blanket on sale for $39. The site Printerval appears to have the cheapest option at $16.
Dallas Cowboys stadium
The Dallas Cowboys play at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. It opened in 2009 and has a capacity of 80,000 (expandable to 100,000 with standing room).
Can the Dallas Cowboys still make the playoffs
Yes, and the scenario is simple. Dallas has to beat the Los Angeles Chargers, the Washington Commanders, and the New York Giants, then have the Philadelphia Eagles lose to the Commanders, the Buffalo Bills, and the Commanders again.
Dallas can make the playoffs, but they won’t.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.