Does DaRon Bland injury open door for Cowboys to activate Trevon Diggs?

FRISCO — The Dallas Cowboys are expected to be without starting corner DaRon Bland for the rest of the season as they explore the possibility of him getting surgery on his left foot for the second time in three years.

It’ll inevitably create an opening in the starting lineup and on the team’s 53-man roster. It also inevitably led to a follow-up question to head coach Brian Schottenheimer on Friday. If Bland is out, is Trevon Diggs – after weeks of miscommunication and tension – in?

Schottenheimer smiled before he responded.

“Mr. Diggs is having a very good week,” Schottenheimer said. “We’ll see how he does today, but I’ll say this: when you look at Trevon this week, what I love the most about him is that he’s having fun playing football. And he’s smiling, running around, but to his credit, he’s having a really good week. We’ll see how today goes.”

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Schottenheimer was then asked if Diggs’ evident enjoyment is different than the previous two weeks he’s been practicing since his practice window off injured reserve was opened.

“I just think I see it more,” Schottenheimer said. “I see him flying to the ball and covering down. He’s playing really well, to be honest with you.”

The Cowboys have until Saturday afternoon to officially decide if they’re going to active Diggs off injured reserve. If they don’t, he’ll revert back to injured reserve and miss the remainder of the season.

Diggs hasn’t played since the team lost on the road to the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 12. He was expected to play the following week, but Diggs suffered a concussion at his home in what he and the Cowboys have deemed as an unspecified accident. A couple weeks later, Diggs was placed on injured reserve. The team cited right knee issues for the reasoning.

This season also got off on the wrong foot between Diggs and the Cowboys. Diggs chose to rehab after season-ending knee surgery last season in Florida and away from the team. Because of that, the team decided enforce a de-escalator clause in his contract that reduced his salary by $500,000 – a decision that Diggs said hurt his feelings.

Last week, Diggs told reporters that he expected to play against the Minnesota Vikings and that he was healthy. The team told him Saturday that he wasn’t activated. Schottenheimer said he gave Diggs multiple reasons why during a talk in his office the day before the game.

After the loss to Minnesota, Jerry Jones said that Diggs wasn’t healthy enough to play. This past week, speaking on 105.3 The Fan (KRLD-FM), he said that Diggs wasn’t healthy enough to play in the style he plays, which sometimes involves going away from scheme design in the hopes of making a big play.

The disconnect put a spotlight on Saturday’s deadline to activate Diggs, especially because of Dallas’ ability to get out of their contract with Diggs and save anywhere between $12.5 million and $15.5 million on their salary cap next year.

Jones was asked on 105.3 The Fan (KRLD-FM) on Friday if it would mean Diggs’ career with the Cowboys would be in jeopardy if they didn’t activate him before Sunday.

“I think that’s a stretch to put that thing that far out,” Jones said.

“On my basis, looking at his situation, I don’t have that attitude about him.”

Briefly: Schottenheimer said safety Juanyeh Thomas will likely miss the rest of the season. Thomas has been on injured reserve since Nov. 11 after he dealt with migraines. Schottenheimer said they expect that that they will hit their limit of eight injured reserve activations … left tackle Tyler Guyton missed practice again on Friday, putting doubt into his potential return on Sunday. Guyton hasn’t played since he sprained his ankle on Nov. 23 in the win over the Eagles.

Jerry Jones evaluates Brian Schottenheimer’s first season as Dallas Cowboys head coach