As the Dallas Cowboys fight to keep their playoff hopes alive, the status of injured cornerback, Trevon Diggs, hangs in the balance. Now, ahead of their Week 15 game against the Minnesota Vikings, CEO Stephen Jones is leaving the crucial decision in the hands of his coaching staff. They want to strengthen their defense to add some pressure on the rivals.

“We’re gonna make that decision tomorrow. We have another day of work. Coach Schottenheimer has been real clear as has Coach Eberflus in terms of evaluating the full body of work for the week, and we’ll make that decision tomorrow,” Jones revealed on December 12 on 105.3 The Fan.

America’s Team is not leaving anything to chance and will decide after the final day of practice on Saturday, December 13.

Head coach Brian Schottenheimer and defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus are clear about one thing. Trevon Diggs needs to show all sorts of movements to signal that he is ready to play. They don’t want to jeopardize the future by playing him if he isn’t fully healthy.

Jones’ caution is understandable, given that Diggs’ career has been a frustrating cycle of injuries over the last three seasons.

He missed 15 games in 2023 with a season-ending ACL injury he suffered in Week 3 practice. Last year, he played until Week 11 before a knee issue in the same leg (with ACL injury) forced him to sit out the remaining season. Again, this year, the Cowboys put him on the injured reserve (IR) on October 25 because of a knee injury and concussion symptoms.

In six games (four starts) this season, he has 18 tackles (13 solo).

While his six years’ experience in the NFL will significantly boost America’s Team defense, Stephen Jones is trusting his coaches to make the decision. Yet, there’s a silver lining.

Trevon Diggs is ready to play amid coaches’ doubts

Schottenheimer and his coaches understand one crucial factor entering the last month of the season: They need injury-free players to stack wins on a 6-6 record. That’s why even Jones decided to stay away from pressuring his coaches to play Trevon Diggs.

“There’s a certain standard that Coach Schottenheimer and his staff are looking at with him,” Jones noted.

“Certainly for him to play the type of defense we want him to play and play the corner position the way we want him to play it, he needs to be out there practicing, which he has been, and be diligent in the meetings and have good practices.”

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If Trevon Diggs doesn’t return this week, Jones is expecting him to play sometime later in the season. However, the cornerback is ready. He was excited to practice after a month and claimed he was ready to play again. And surely, the 27-year-old can use the urge to play with his teammates and in front of fans as a motivation to push through.

“Running around, fly around, hit people, take the ball away, just doing everything together as a team. I feel like that’s most fun part… I miss that, too,” shared Diggs.

But even the player understood that there is a business side to football, as the Cowboys don’t get value from his five–year, $97 million contract extension if he misses game time.

While the lineup currently looks undecided, once Trevon Diggs is back, Schottenheimer will almost be compelled to start him. But when that happens is the real question.