Minnesota Vikings v Dallas Cowboys - NFL 2025
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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs' unique, extended stay on injured reserve because of the health of his knee continues to confound.

Diggs said on Friday that he felt he was healthy enough to play on "Sunday Night Football" against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 15, but Dallas opted not to activate the two-time Pro Bowler on Saturday. That surprised and upset Diggs after he said he had been part of the defensive game plan in practice all week. It appeared that way in the media viewing portion of practice with Diggs lining up as one of the Cowboys' three starting corners with DaRon Bland and Shavon Revel Jr. at times on Friday. 

"Going into the week, that was the plan, for me to play. I was included in the game plan to play, and [Saturday] I was told I wasn't playing, so that's why I thought I was playing," Diggs said postgame. "It was a quick decision. I thought I was going to come out here and play, but they felt otherwise. That's just what it was." 

Instead of suiting up, Diggs watched from the AT&T Stadium sideline as struggling Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy diced Dallas up for a career-high 250 yards passing while throwing two touchdowns, an interception on 15 of 24 passing while also rushing for a touchdown in a 34-26 defeat. McCarthy entered Week 15 with the NFL's lowest completion percentage (56%), touchdown-to-interception ratio (9-10, 0.9) and passer rating (67.4) this season among 34 qualified quarterbacks.

The Cowboys ruled out Diggs the Friday before Week 7 against the Washington Commanders after the cornerback suffered a concussion in an accident at his home. While Diggs was in concussion protocol, Dallas put him on injured reserve because of his knee being reaggravated, and he hasn't played since, missing the last eight games. The Cowboys opened up Diggs' 21-day practice window to work his way back to a return from injured reserve on Nov. 30, and he has until Dec. 20 at 4 p.m., the day before the Cowboys' Week 16 home finale against the Chargers, to be activated. Otherwise, Diggs will remain on IR and not return to play this season. 

"I hope I can play. I hope they decide I can play. I feel good enough to play, so we'll just have to see," Diggs said. "It's not my decision. Me personally, I feel good. I feel healthy. I feel ready, so I just have to wait. ... I feel like I can make a big difference. I feel like I can contribute. I feel like I can help this team win."

The Cowboys are allowing the second-most points per game (30.0) in the NFL this season and the most passing yards per game (254.8) in the league, so one would think any and all help, especially the help from the NFL's 2021 interceptions leader. 

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Garrett Podell
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Dallas' side of the story

Coach Brian Schottenheimer said Diggs "had a better week" in Week 15, but he made it clear the team feels "differently" about his health status. 

"As we've talked about, when he's ready to go, I know he feels ready to go. And again, I love that for him as a competitor, I love that," Schottenheimer said postgame. "But at the end of the day, we felt differently." 

Owner and general manager Jerry Jones provided a direct answer as to why Diggs remains sidelined: he's not healthy despite Diggs feeling like he is. 

"Diggs isn't healthy enough to be out there for us. Period," Jones said postgame. "You have to look at practices and if they practice good enough. Whether it's a limitation they've had in recent games or a long-term injury, you've got to make your mind up when you see him practice. When we looked at practice, we didn't like what we saw relative to his health and ability to make plays."

So who is making the call each week about whether or not it's time to activate Diggs? Well, it's a few different people. 

"It can be [the] training [staff]. It can be [the team] doctor. It can be Schotty's call," Jones said. "It can be a behavior call. A lot of ways that you have to evaluate where you are to get on the field."

Jones' answer is partially why Diggs remains confused about his own situation: he feels like there's a moving target about what he actually needs to do to make his return to play. 

"I don't know the special requirements that I need to show that I can play. I've been in practice. I've been practicing well. I've been running around, doing what I'm supposed to do," Diggs said. "You know it's not my decision at the end of the day. We have to wait and see come Monday or whenever we go back to practice, just do what I can do to show that I'm ready to play and go from there."

Schottenheimer agreed that it's "different things" that Dallas needs to see from Diggs and that "consistency" is still what is being desired from the cornerback moving forward. 

"Different things. Consistency. I think I've been very honest about that with all of our players. There's things that they need  to do from a consistency standpoint to make us feel good about putting him out there," Schottenheimer said. "And again, I know he felt like he wanted to play, and he felt like he was ready to play. Like I said, we made a decision as a team. and I made a decision, and we went in a different direction. So we'll see how this week goes." 

Defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus spoke about needing to be "wired in" during team meetings and in practice was key as was asking questions to make sure responsibilities were clear. The unclear handling of Diggs' situation, in his own eyes, has led to disappointment. 

"Definitely disappointed because I definitely thought I was coming out here going to play and be able to help these guys try to pull out a win," Diggs said. "I think how it was handled I didn't like that because I thought that I was playing. It is what it is. Try to focus on next to see if I could show them whatever they want to see. I'm going to show them and go from there."

Quarterback Dak Prescott has been helping Diggs work through his "tough" situation by advising him to stay positive, control what he can control, be there for teammates and show up in practice.

"I had a conversation with him when he told me about the news that they gave him about not playing, and it was just about keeping his head up," Prescott said postgame. "I told him simple as this, 'go Monday, ask what they expect from you. So you have the plan throughout the week, so you can make sure you do exactly that. So you know what's needed for you to become active and to get back to being the guy that you are.' He accepted that." 

Diggs said he also accepted the coaching staff telling him they needed more from him in practice, but he feels his shift in improving how he's handled practice hasn't changed anything. 

"From the first conversation that we had, it was practice. I guess I wasn't showing them what they wanted to see in practice, and this week I showed them what they wanted to see in practice, and it's still the same results. So I don't know what else I need to do or to show at this point. I feel like it's not up to me or what I do. It's really up to them and what they want to do. So I'm just showing up every day and going to work."

Dallas divorce? 

If the Cowboys want to move on from Diggs prior to the third season of his five-year, $97 million contract, they would save around $12.6 million in cap space if he is released before June 1 in 2026. A post-June 1 release would free up $15.5 million. Diggs' $19.4 million average per year salary is tied for the 10th-highest at the cornerback position, according to OverTheCap.com.

So does a player whose 20 career interceptions since entering the NFL in 2020 are tied for the second-most in the league, just one behind Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons' 21 in that span, feel like he needs to show he can still play? 

"That would be nice," Diggs said. 

He acknowledged he's seen rumors online about his future no longer being with the Cowboys, but if it's up to him, Diggs would like to remain with Dallas in 2026 and beyond. 

"Of course [I want to be here next season]. Dallas is a great place. I have a great relationship with these guys. They're like my brothers, so of course I want to be here, but at the end of the day, it's a business,'' Diggs said. "I don't know what the future holds. It's in God's hands, so I'm just doing what I can do: showing up where I can show up and go from there."

Jones ducked a question about if he sees Diggs finishing out his contract and pointed toward the 27-year-old's 29 games missed since 2023, so the ambiguity around Diggs' future remains, which is a sign itself. 

"I don't have to look at that right now. We of course are very disappointed that he hadn't had more play time this year," Jones said. "Frankly, I'm disappointed that he hadn't had play time over the last several years, and his injuries have a lot to do with that."