The Cowboys’ secondary took another hit when Trevon Diggs was moved to injured reserve before the Broncos game due to a head injury. After initially being ruled out, Dallas placed the two-time Pro Bowler on IR, sidelining him for a minimum of four games and making Week 13 vs. the Chiefs his first eligible return.
Diggs had already missed the Week 7 win over Washington after suffering the injury at home. With him out, rookie Trikweze Bridges steps into a larger role, while depth options like CJ Goodwin and Caelen Carson loom as contingency plans amid multiple back-end injuries.
Asked on 105.3 The Fan whether Diggs rushed back from his injury, as Micah Parsons had subtly alluded to in Jori’s piece, owner Jerry Jones was definitive. “No. No. Not at all,” as noticed by Dallas reporter Joseph Hoyt, flatly rejecting the premise.
Jones’s stance arrives as Dallas navigates a rough defensive stretch and mounting scrutiny of the unit’s health and performance. The IR move contrasted with head coach Brian Schottenheimer’s earlier indication that IR wasn’t on the table, underscoring how quickly the situation changed as evaluations progressed.
Through six appearances (four starts), Diggs logged 18 tackles and a TFL; his absence forces Dallas to reshuffle matchups and communications on the perimeter while they try to stabilize an injury-thinned secondary.
Public pressure hasn’t cooled. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith urged Jones to pursue defensive help after Dallas surrendered 44 points to Denver, even floating Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson as an aggressive target while citing other elite options. His argument: with the offense capable of carrying games, Dallas needs “a decent defense,” not a dominant one, to alter its postseason ceiling.
Inside the locker room, Dak Prescott framed the path forward with accountability and preparation. He challenged the group, himself included, to elevate through the week and on game day, leaning on a locker room he insists won’t splinter after a humbling night.
Where it leaves Dallas: Diggs’s IR stint forces young corners onto the stage, Jones has drawn a hard line on the rush-back narrative, and any external fix will have to mesh quickly with a group searching for answers.
