For the second year in a row, cornerback Trevon Diggs has spent the offseason rehabbing from a knee injury. For the second year in a row, he’s done that far away from the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys front office was less than pleased when he did it last year.
They appear to be even less happy with his decision to do it again this year.
Dallas has deducted $500,000 from Diggs base salary of $9 million “for his failure to complete at least 84% of his offseason workouts” according to sources familiar with the situation. Losing over five percent of his salary might just be the start of losses for Diggs.
A Matter Of Trust?
The reasons why Diggs has not rehabbed under the Cowboys’ watchful eyes remain unclear. If he lacks trust in the medical staff, he should raise those concerns for himself and his teammates.
Diggs has spent most of his time rehabbing in Miami instead of Dallas.
The Cowboys did not have to invoke the clause in his contract to reclaim the $500,000, a clause found in most of the bigger contracts.
That they chose to do so anyway is a clear message to Diggs of their displeasure. It might also be a warning shot across the bow.
Dallas could choose to cut or trade Diggs at any point since we are well beyond June 1st.
They would save some money over the remainder of the contract extension that Diggs signed in 2023. But how likely is such a move to happen?
Cut Bait Or Keep Him?
The Cowboys did draft Shavon Revel in the third round in April, a player expected to go in the first round in April had he not also suffered a knee injury last year in college.
They also traded for Kaiir Elam and have DaRon Bland in the backfield as well as last year’s draft pick Caelen Carson.
As training camp plays out, and the Cowboys have a chance to see how their defensive backfield is shaping up, Diggs might just become expendable. Especially if his rehab progress isn’t to their liking.
The Final Decision
Diggs is one of the best corners in the NFL. When he is healthy, which he hasn’t been over the past two seasons.
He only played in two games in 2023 and 11 in 2024.
Recent reports seem to indicate that Diggs will miss time this fall. He might, according to one report, miss all of 2025.
If that is the case, and the other cornerbacks step up, the Cowboys might just have to do what was unthinkable last year.
They just might have to send Trevon Diggs packing.
