Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs 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 past two years. He tore his ACL during a September 2023 practice 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, though 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 $57MM from 2026 to 2028. With escalating cap hits for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb – not to mention Micah Parsons‘ pending mega-deal – 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 upwards of $20MM per year on an extension. Releasing Diggs with a post-June 1 designation would save $15.5MM against the 2026 salary cap with just $2.94MM in dead money in 2025 and 2026. This future adds a key ingredient to Diggs’ latest rehab odyssey.

Trevon Diggs might not be ready for the start of training camp, and there’s a chance the Cowboys cornerback is sidelined for even longer than that. According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, Diggs underwent chondral tissue graft surgery on his left knee today.

We previously heard that Diggs’ impending surgery could sideline him for the start of training camp. It was always expected that the player would undergo bone graft surgery, which requires a longer recovery time but would offer the best long-term outlook. It was initially suggested that recovery could take up to eight months, and that timeline would keep Diggs off the field through the start of the regular season.

Archer notes that Diggs underwent the surgery now vs. several weeks ago because “the growing of the graft” would “ensure best results.” Archer describes the procedure as “a more modern take on a micro-fracture surgery,” with the reporter comparing it to an operation that former Cowboys (and current Commanders) WR Noah Brown underwent earlier in his career.

Diggs was reportedly playing through significant pain this past season before suffering another cartilage issue. Diggs spent much of the 2024 campaign banged up, as the veteran battled a torn calf while also missing two games with designations of groin and knee injuries. Fortunately, this latest issue isn’t related to his ACL tear from the 2023 campaign.

The Cowboys are surely hoping the former second-round pick can return to form as soon as possible, as Diggs just completed the first year of his five-year, $97MM extension. The defensive back is only a few years removed from his prolific 11-interception season, and his 2022 follow-up was just as productive. After his 2023 campaign was wiped out by that aforementioned ACL injury, Diggs managed to get into 11 games during his comeback campaign. The 26-year-old finished the year with 42 tackles and a pair of interceptions, with Pro Football Focus grading him 91st among 118 qualifying cornerbacks.

DECEMBER 20: Diggs is expected to undergo bone graft surgery, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reports. That procedure carries a longer recovery timeline than other surgical options, but it likely offers the best outcome in the long run. Moore notes a timeline is not in place with respect to when Diggs’ operation will take place, but in any event he faces a lengthy rehab process.

DECEMBER 16: Trevon Diggs‘ impending surgery won’t only knock the Cowboys cornerback out for the remainder of the 2024 campaign. During an appearance on 1053 The Fan, Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones admitted that Diggs likely wouldn’t be available for at least the start of training camp. Jones also confirmed that Diggs was playing through significant pain before suffering another cartilage issue.

[RELATED: Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs Set To Have Season-Ending Surgery]

“He was having to play with fluid in his knee,” Jones said (via Jon Machota of The Athletic). “He was out there doing everything he can because he wants to play, he wants to compete, he wants to contribute. … But unfortunately he [suffered] a new injury that has to do with cartilage. It’s certainly a very legitimate injury that’s gonna take him some time to recover from. … I don’t think he’ll be a player during training camp. I think his timeline is going to be right about the start of the season.”

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is a bit more definitive with his timeline, noting that Diggs’ recovery could take up to eight months. That would keep the cornerback off the practice field until at least August, and depending on his required ramp-up period, Diggs could be forced to miss the early part of the regular season.

Rapoport clarifies that Diggs will undergo “surgery to repair an issue related to his articular cartilage.” We’ve already learned that this latest injury isn’t related to the player’s ACL tear from the 2023 campaign. In his comeback season in 2024, Diggs battled a torn calf while also missing two recent games with designations of groin and knee injuries. With his latest season-ending ailment, Diggs’ 2023 and 2024 campaigns will see him combine for 13 total appearances.

The Cowboys are surely hoping the former second-round pick can return to his dependable, All-Pro form, as Diggs is currently in the first year of his five-year, $97MM extension. The defensive back is only a few years removed from his prolific 11-interception season, and his 2022 follow-up was just as productive. In his limited looks over the past two years, sites like Pro Football Focus (subscription required) haven’t been as fond of his performance, but we could attribute the downturn to his lingering injuries.

9:53pm: As the mainstream media catches up with the early reports, we have begun to collect more information about the nature of Diggs’ injury. According to Jeremy Fowler at ESPN, “Diggs is dealing with a knee cartilage issue.” In recent weeks, the 26-year-old reportedly experienced some swelling, leading to further evaluations and the eventual decision to shut him down for the remainder of the season.

2:39pm: The Cowboys cannot seem to escape the bad injury luck this season. The newest example of this sees cornerback Trevon Diggs set to undergo season-ending knee surgery, per Jay Glazer of FOX Sports. While several reports have been made detailing the Cowboys’ decision to downgrade Diggs to “out” for this week, Glazer and ESPN’s Todd Archer seem to be the only ones at the moment reporting on the potential surgery.

The former-second round pick out of Alabama is in his fifth year of NFL play and the first year of his five-year, $97MM extension. The highly touted defensive back earned first-team All-Pro honors in his sophomore campaign and Pro Bowl honors in both 2021 and 2022. His most prolific season in 2021 saw him lead the league in interceptions (11), interception return yards (142), and interceptions returned for touchdowns (2).

Diggs has not been able to replicate that insane production in the years since and the analytics at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) has never favored him as one of the league’s best at the position, unlike his teammate DaRon Bland, who had a prolific season of his own just last year. Another limiting factor of late has been a difficulty for Diggs to remain on the field. Diggs missed nearly all of last year with a torn ACL. This season, he has battled a torn calf while also missing two recent games with designations of groin and knee injuries. Archer claims that the surgery to repair his ACL tear from last year has held up and that the new surgery is unrelated.

With the surgery, Diggs is likely to join the 12 other players Dallas has on injured reserve including key contributors like defensive ends DeMarcus Lawrence and Sam Williams, guard Zack Martin, and, of course, quarterback Dak Prescott. That’s not to mention players like Bland, wide receiver Brandin Cooks, and defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, who recently found their way off of IR.

The Cowboys don’t have much left to fight for in the 2024 NFL season. While they haven’t yet been eliminated from the playoffs, they likely would need to win out and expect some help from others in order to get to the postseason. With the likelihood of a playoff appearance seeming extremely low, it makes sense not to force players back who may end up needing surgery and time to recover. The team has yet to disclose the specifics or severity of Diggs’ knee injury, but per Ed Werder of WFAA, it appears to be significant.

The injury is a disappointing one for Dallas, who just recently saw Bland return. In the last two years, the Cowboys have only seen Bland and Diggs on the field together for three games and only one in which they both started. Like last year, Bland will pick up the immediate slack of Diggs’ absence, while the team will continue piecing together the solution at the other cornerback position.

Jourdan Lewis has started nine games, but he plays primarily in a nickelback role. Rookie fifth-round pick Caelen Carson had started five games but currently resides on IR, himself. Reserves like Josh Butler, Amani Oruwariye, and Andrew Booth will likely be relied upon as injuries continue to decimate America’s Team.