After 10 weeks on the sidelines, cornerback Trevon Diggs is back for the Dallas Cowboys. On Saturday, the Cowboys restored Diggs from injured reserve to their active roster, making the former Alabama defensive back eligible to play against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
But while bringing back Diggs, Dallas placed cornerback DaRon Bland on injured reserve. Bland made first-team All-Pro in 2023 when he led the NFL with nine interceptions, which he returned for 209 yards and five touchdowns. A foot injury will sideline Bland for the rest of the season.
Diggs missed Dallas’ past eight games and had been on injured reserve since Oct. 25 because of a concussion suffered in a home accident and knee soreness.
Diggs has been listed as a limited participant in every Dallas practice for the past three weeks, and the Cowboys had to active Diggs on Saturday or leave him on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.
NFL rules allow a player on injured reserve to be activated up to 21 days after he returns to practice.
Dallas brought back Diggs even though its playoff chances are slim. For the Cowboys to win the NFC East, the Philadelphia Eagles will have to lose their remaining three games while Dallas wins its remaining three.
After the Cowboys’ 34-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night, Diggs said he had been healthy enough to play after two weeks of practice. But Jerry Jones, the NFL team’s owner and general manager, disagreed.
A second-round draft pick by Dallas in 2020, Diggs was a first-team All-Pro selection in 2021 when he led the NFL with 11 interceptions. He earned Pro Bowl recognition again in 2022 before injuries affected his next three seasons.
Diggs played in only the first two games of the 2023 season before a torn anterior cruciate ligament caused him to miss the rest of the campaign.
Diggs missed six games last season with a knee injury and had chondral bone graft surgery in January. Diggs played 329 defensive snaps in Dallas’ first six games this season even though rehabilitation from the knee injury kept him on the physically-unable-to-perform list until Aug. 24.
