Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs said he is aiming to return to the field by the start of the regular season, according to Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News.
Diggs has struggled with injuries in the last two years. He tore his ACL in Week 2 of the 2023 season and missed the rest of the year. The five-year veteran recovered in time for the regular season next fall and started the Cowboys’ first 10 games despite a lingering calf injury. However, Diggs was unable to play through another issue with his knee, which ultimately required surgery in January.
Diggs was present at the team’s mandatory minicamp last week, but he did not participate in any on-field work. He is not expected to be ready for the start of training camp, either. Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said in April that Diggs could even start the season on the physically unable to perform list, which would sideline him for the team’s first four games. That would give Diggs more time to get ready for the season, especially if he does not have a full ramp-up period during training camp.
However, the 26-year-old has plenty of reason to push for a Week 1 debut. Even if he stays healthy this year, Diggs could find himself a free agent next offseason, per The Athletic’s Saad Yousuf. He led the league with 11 interceptions in 2021, but has struggled to replicate that form since, though he has given up significantly fewer yards in coverage.
Diggs’ contract has no guaranteed money after 2025, per OverTheCap, and he’s due $57M from 2026 to 2028. With escalating cap hits for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb — not to mention Micah Parsons' pending megadeal — the Cowboys may elect to move on from Diggs to help balance the books. All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland is also entering the final year of his rookie contract and could command upward of $20M per year on an extension. Releasing Diggs with a post-June 1 designation would save $15.5M against the 2026 salary cap with just $2.94M in dead money in 2025 and 2026.
