There's no replacing a top talent like Trevon Diggs, but that is exactly what the Dallas Cowboys are tasked with doing after the All-Pro cornerback tore his ACL in practice Thursday.
As of Thursday evening, the Cowboys were still nailing down an exact timeline for Diggs' recovery, but reports indicated that the injury would sideline him at least for the rest of this season. That leaves a gaping hole in Dallas' secondary. The Cowboys' defense remains one of the most talented in football even without Diggs, but someone has to step up next to Stephon Gilmore and prevent opposing offenses from taking advantage of Diggs' absence. These are a couple of the Cowboys' options, including one player already on the roster.
1. DaRon Bland
Second-year man DaRon Bland has been in this position before. The Cowboys' secondary was plighted by injuries and subpar play last season before Bland jumped outside from nickel corner to help cover wideouts. Bland impressed over the final third of the season and grabbed a team-high five interceptions over the course of his entire rookie campaign.
Bland is the Cowboys' best option for replacing Diggs, at least for the time being. He's already on the roster, he has already stepped up in the past, and Jourdan Lewis' return to play at nickel corner frees Bland up to move back outside where he is needed.
If Bland is the starting second cornerback for the rest of the season, he faces a significantly larger challenge than he did last season when he stepped in. As a rookie, Bland managed to help a porous Cowboys secondary level out in the middle of a late-season nosedive. This year he's being asked to help a secondary that appeared to be on their way to elite production in 2023 continue that trajectory. The secondary in 2023 will never be as good as they were with Diggs on the field, but they might still be one of the top units in football if Bland can take another step forward.
2. Casey Hayward
It seems unlikely that the Cowboys look to free agency to find a starter to replace Diggs, but Casey Hayward is the best option by far if they do. Hayward turned 34 two weeks ago and had a pick in six games last season with the Atlanta Falcons. The veteran is far from the player he was when he was a back-to-back Second-Team All-Pro in 2016 and 2017, but there aren't any free agent cornerbacks left on the board with his pedigree. Hayward, playing next to veterans like Gilmore and Malik Hooker would give the Cowboys one of the more experienced and prestigious secondaries in football.
If the Cowboys are more inclined to lean on Bland and the other cornerbacks already in-house to take starting reps, Hayward would still be a quality depth piece for the Cowboys to bring in. Having a seasoned veteran like Hayward on the bench could come in handy should Bland's lack of NFL experience rear its head over the course of the season. Gilmore already provides that sort of veteran savvy that the Cowboys' young cornerbacks room needs, but Hayward would have something to offer too.
3. Patrick Peterson
This is the Dallas Cowboys we're talking about, right? Jerry Jones never has been able to resist a brand-name veteran, even if it's just to get America's Team back at the front of the news cycle. After Dallas' courtship of Odell Beckham Jr. and optical flirtations with Bobby Wagner and Earl Thomas that seemingly lasted years, would anyone really be surprised if the Cowboys indicated they were interested in bringing in Patrick Peterson out of Pittsburgh?
It's not the worst idea. Peterson has a $7 million contract this year and is a free agent at the end of the 2024 season. Dallas should be able to offload the final year of that contract fairly easily if needed. In the meantime, Peterson and Gilmore make for an aging but formidable one-two punch at the top of Dallas' cornerbacks rotation. Pittsburgh has rookie Joey Porter Jr. sitting behind Peterson at the moment as well. If the Steelers' season gets out of hand quickly, they may be inclined to let Peterson walk and get Porter more snaps.
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