The Dallas Cowboys got some welcome good news on the defensive front Sunday morning.
Two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs passed his physical, and the Cowboys activated him from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. Diggs is now eligible to play in Week 1 in the Thursday night NFL season kickoff game against the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 4.
Diggs was sidelined through training camp and the preseason after having surgery last season to repair cartilage in his left knee. The surgery was to the same knee that sustained a torn ACL in 2023.
The initial ACL tear cost Diggs all but two games of the 2023 season. He was sidelined for the final four games of 2024 after undergoing his subsequent surgery.
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Diggs’ activation doesn’t guarantee he’ll be available for Week 1. But it’s a significant step. Had he remained on the PUP list to start the regular season, he would have been required to sit the first four weeks of the season.
Diggs addressed his status with reporters Friday after the Cowboys’ preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons.
“I feel way better than I should feel,” he said, per ESPN.
When asked then about playing in Week 1 against the Eagles, Diggs responded: “Maybe, maybe not.”
When healthy, Diggs is one of the NFL’s top defensive playmakers. He led the NFL with 11 interceptions in 2021 en route to a first-team All-Pro selection in his second NFL season. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2022 for a second time before his ACL injury in 2023 set him back.
His return is key for a Cowboys defense that’s still in flux due to the uncertainty around the status of All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons. Parsons and the Cowboys appear to be no closer to resolving their contract impasse that’s kept Parsons sidelined throughout the preseason.
Parsons didn’t dress for Friday’s preseason finale and appeared to take a nap on the sideline during the game as he continues to withhold his services in search of an extension to his rookie contract.
