The Cowboys suffered a blow to their secondary when Trevon Diggs tore his ACL in practice on Thursday. Luckily, they already have a plan to fill the void.
Diggs suffered the non-contact knee injury during a 1-on-1 drill. As Cowboys' Stephen Jones put it in a post-practice presser, Diggs "just took an awkward step trying to make a play on the ball, and unfortunately it torqued the wrong way and got his knee."
Diggs, a two-time Pro Bowler who signed a lucrative extension this summer, put together two terrific performances at the start of the season and will be sorely missed. Whereas other teams may need to look externally in the event of an injury to a star corner, the Cowboys may keep things in-house and simply move some pieces around.
Here's how the Cowboys plan to adapt to Diggs' absence, according to NFL's Jane Slater.
Cowboys depth chart after Trevon Diggs injury
With Diggs out, the Cowboys are expected to move 2022 fifth-rounder DaRon Bland from nickel to outside cornerback opposite Stephon Gilmore. Jourdan Lewis, who was a hot trade candidate last offseason and is recovering from a foot injury, will step up in the nickel position.
Fourth-year corner Noah Igbinoghene, who the Cowboys acquired via trade from the Dolphins in early September, will provide depth as needed.
All in all, it sounds like a fairly solid plan in the wake of Trevon Diggs' injury. With the Cowboys' defensive depth, they're well-prepared in case of unfortunate situations like these.
However, the new plan is contingent on a few things: Bland has to adjust to an outside role, and Lewis has to remain healthy. Bland actually led the Cowboys with five picks last year, so he can help make up for Diggs' ballhawk production.
As for Lewis, it's a good thing the Cowboys didn't deal him last offseason or place him on the PUP list to start the season. Lewis suffered a foot injury last October that caused him to miss most of the 2022 campaign, and his workload was supposed to gradually ramp up throughout 2023. After Diggs' injury, his timeline shortens and he'll plug in as an immediate impact player.
Lewis recently said he feels fully healthy now and has been a full go at practices. Lewis said of his future role, "Just going out there and showing I have the ability and my foot is stable enough to play a full game."
The 2017 third-round pick by the Cowboys played in 15 or more games in every season except for 2022 and could relish the opportunity to develop into a reliable starter in Dallas; he started 13 games in 2020 and another 13 games in 2021.
Last but not least, sixth-round rookie Eric Scott will hang around as emergency depth. Scott has yet to play a snap in his first year.
