Trevon Diggs missing the rest of the season with the Cowboys:
The Dallas Cowboys received devastating news this week as star cornerback Trevon Diggs will miss the remainder of the 2022 season after undergoing surgery to repair a broken foot. Diggs suffered the injury during the Cowboys' Week 6 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
Diggs had emerged as the top playmaker in Dallas' secondary and one of the best cornerbacks in all of football through the first six weeks of the season. The third-year pro out of Alabama was leading the NFL with three interceptions on the year and looked primed to make his first Pro Bowl.
His breakout performance helped transform the Cowboy's defense into one of the stingiest units against the pass. Dallas entered Week 6 ranked 4th in passing yards allowed and had only given up five touchdowns through the air, tied for best in the league.
A lot of that success was due to Diggs' ability to make opposing quarterbacks pay for throwing in his direction. His three picks were more than any other team had recorded at the time. Diggs also had six passes defended and seemed to make a game-changing play every week.
His impact went beyond just the stats too. Diggs brought an infectious energy and swagger to the Cowboy's secondary. He took on the role of lockdown man coverage corner and allowed the rest of the defense to play more aggressively.
Coaches and teammates raved about Diggs' leadership qualities and the way he studied film to stay a step ahead of receivers. At just 24 years old, he had emerged as the clear alpha in Dallas' defensive backfield.
Losing that type of player is a crushing blow for any team, let alone a Cowboys squad with Super Bowl aspirations. They had already lost fellow starting corner Anthony Brown to a torn Achilles in September as well.
Without Diggs and Brown, Dallas will now have to rely heavily on Jourdan Lewis and rookie DaRon Bland to pick up the slack outside. Sixth-year veteran Kelvin Joseph and fourth-year man Nahshon Wright will also see more reps.
It's a lot to replace given Diggs' all-around game and playmaking ability in coverage. The Cowboys had held out hope he could return after 4-6 weeks with the initial diagnosis of a mid-foot sprain.
But further tests and examinations by foot specialists determined Diggs would need season-ending surgery to properly repair the break. Getting him back to 100% for 2023 became the new priority rather than rushing him back this fall.
The silver lining is Dallas still controls its own destiny in the wide-open NFC East division at 4-2. But the schedule gets tougher with matchups against the Bears, Packers, Eagles and Titans still on tap.
Holding down opposing passing games will become much more difficult without Diggs wreaking havoc. The Cowboys defense must now find a new identity without their emotional leader roaming the secondary.
It's a crushing blow for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. But if anyone can help fill the void of Diggs' absence, it's the Cowboys coaching staff led by Mike McCarthy and Dan Quinn. They'll need to tap into the next men up to hold down the fort until Diggs returns next fall fully healed.