Two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs has barely graced the field this season after a string of injuries sidelined him early on. His last appearance came in Week 6 against the Carolina Panthers. Now, with just three games left in the regular season, Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer stepped up to deliver a straightforward update on whether Diggs will suit up again this season. 

“Trevon and I sat down, and we had a very detailed conversation on Saturday. I told him not only the reasons why, but also the standards and expectations,” Coach Schottenheimer on communication with Diggs. “I’m always going to have real conversations. I would never not play a player and not explain to them why they weren’t going to play. I know he feels like he’s ready, but in our long conversation, I thought I made it very clear. And so I’ll leave it at that.” 

In short, Diggs stays off the roster for now. But that candid exchange comes amid Diggs’ ongoing recovery saga, which took a sharp turn after Week 6. Diggs suffered a concussion in an at-home incident and remained inactive as the Cowboys battled through a grueling schedule without him. 

Currently, Diggs finds himself in his 21-day practice window, with initial expectations pointing toward a matchup against the Vikings. Yet, just one day before kickoff, he was informed that he wouldn’t be reactivated, a decision that stung deeply after a tough 26-34 loss at AT&T.

“Going into the week, that was the plan, was for me to play. I was included in the game plan to play.” The CB said. “Yesterday, I was told I wasn’t playing, so that’s why I thought that I was playing. It was a quick decision, I didn’t know. I thought I was going to come out here and play, but they felt otherwise. That’s just what it was.”

Diggs didn’t hold back, voicing his frustration by saying he “didn’t like the way” the situation was handled, though he vowed to prove his readiness through practice and stage a strong comeback if given the chance.

“I think how it was handled, I didn’t like that, because I thought that I was playing. It is what it is, try to focus on next week, see if I can show them whatever they want to see. I’m going to show them and go from there.”

However, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones emphasized that bringing Diggs back isn’t so simple. It requires the team to carefully evaluate his health and on-field impact before making a decision.

“Diggs isn’t healthy enough to be out there for us,” Jones said of Diggs, per NFL reporter Ed Werder. “OK? Did everybody hear that? I said he’s not healthy enough for us to put him out there.”

Well, these back-and-forth exchanges between players and the owner aren’t anything new in Dallas. But Jones’ blunt assessment clearly didn’t sit well with Diggs, amplifying the tension as the season winds down. 

Trevon Diggs fires back: “It’s not my decision”

The Cowboys are limping defensively while their offense reigns supreme as the league’s number-one unit. However, their defense ranks a dismal 29th, surrendering nearly 525 yards per game. 

Diggs, who notched 18 tackles in just six games before his injuries derailed him, could ignite that struggling secondary, and even he believes he’s primed to contribute. Yet, the cornerback remains powerless in the decision-making process.

“I feel good enough to play, so we’ll just have to see,” Diggs said via the team’s website. “At the end of the day, it’s not my decision. Me personally, I feel good, I feel healthy, I feel ready. So I just got to wait.”

Reportedly, Diggs, who inked a lucrative five-year, $97 million contract extension in 2023, might not see out the full deal with the Cowboys, as whispers of a potential split gain steam amid the health drama.

“Relationship between Diggs and the organization has ‘soured’ and ‘been severed,’” per NFL insider Jordan Schultz.

But if Diggs isn’t reactivated before the Week 16 clash with the Chargers, his practice window slams shut, effectively ending any shot at a return this season. If the Cowboys cut Diggs before June 1 next season, they’d swallow over $5 million in dead money; post-June 1, that figure dips to nearly $3 million.