With a 1-1 record, the Dallas Cowboys are headed for a road game against the 0-2 Chicago Bears. However, Trevon Diggs and Cooper Beebe’s names were missing from Wednesday’s practice session.

The starting center was placed on IR after he went down with a high-ankle sprain against the Giants in Week 2. Whereas the cornerback, who was cleared to play in Week 1 and Week 2, was listed out due to an illness on Wednesday. But missing the practice session doesn’t mean they’ll be benched in Week 3 as well. Or does it? 

Stephen Jones appeared on 105.3 The Fan to clear fans’ concerns on both the players.

On Cooper Beebe’s recovery:

“No, I think it’s still in the time frame we mentioned. I mean, it’s that 6-to-8-week time frame. I usually bet on those offensive linemen. They’re rough and tumble and don’t want to miss, and he fits that mold exactly. So, we’ll see. But no, we knew the full prognosis when the time frame was out that it was going to be 6 to 8 weeks.”

On Trevon Diggs’ return from injury:

“You know, I think we’ll see week to week. I know he’s driven to do it. I think we’ve got a great staff over there working with him to get him in a great position to have the success that he’s had in the past. And I feel like it’s all coming. Like you said, I think it’s all in front of this secondary. I think Kaiir Elam’s going to continue to get better.”

He added, “So we’ve got a good group of men out there that I think are going to get better week in and week out and ultimately work ourselves into the team that we need to be.”

It makes sense, since the cornerback gave a glimpse of his old self in Week 2 when he took 91 per cent of total defensive snaps. And that’s a good sign.

Diggs has overcome adversity before. 2024 turned out pretty rough as he sustained an ACL tear and played only 11 games. So, his return to Week 1 against the Eagles was a sigh of relief for the Cowboys. And they felt his importance even more when DaRon Bland injured his right foot against the Giants.

So, it definitely raised an alarm when he missed Wednesday’s practice session. But it turns out, his illness was nothing serious, and he showed up to practice on Thursday. As Stephen pointed out, Diggs is driven towards becoming the pre-injury version. 

However, Cooper Beebe’s situation remains the same. His ankle sprain was quite serious, with a broken bone. And it would at least take six to eight weeks before he takes the football field again.

The more upsetting news for Dallas is that Diggs and Beebe weren’t the only concerns. So, the expectation in Dallas is that Bland will sit out Week 3 against the Windy City. But Tyler Guyton’s return also appears tough due to his shoulder injury.

To ease up the burden, the club has acquired Jadeveon Clowney for the defense (already without Micah Parsons) and signed Cooper French for the offense. But who’s going to fill up Beebe’s shoes?

Cowboys are confident with this replacement for Beebe

Brock Hoffman, who stepped in last season as a replacement for All-Pro guard Zack Martin. The pressure would be intense, but Hoffman isn’t jumpy.

In fact, he’s pretty excited to step in and join Tyler Smith, Tyler Brooker, and Guyton on the field.

“I’m excited, and it makes me smile a little bit,” he said. “I’m definitely ready for this group to get out there Sunday… As a unit, we just want to be physical, do our job, make sure we’re on the same page, and have fun.”

He also addressed Beebe’s injury, calling it a misfortune. “Obviously, I feel for Beebe getting hurt. But we’ve definitely prepared. It sucks. But it’s the game of football. There are injuries that happen all the time,” he said, via the Cowboys’ official website.

As for filling in as a center, he has a history of playing the position even though the Cowboys have listed him as a guard on the depth chart. 

Long before the NFL, back in Statesville, North Carolina, he first took up the role of center in high school and carried it into his college journey. As a freshman at Coastal Carolina, he started 12 games snapping the ball before being he took up the guard position as a sophomore.

His transfer to Virginia Tech brought him right back to where he was most comfortable, logging 21 combined starts at center across his junior and senior years for the Hokies. 

That background is paying off now. Schottenheimer, Adams, and Riley made sure he got center work in camp. The contingency plan feels less like a gamble and more like a full-circle return.