The good vibes around the Dallas Cowboys defense have come to a screeching halt.
Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs tore his ACL on Thursday during a red zone 1-on-1 drill in practice, ending his season. It’s a brutal blow to both player and team, as Diggs was already off to a fantastic start as Dallas’ defense has been shutting down opponents.
“You hate to see it with any of your players, but it’s just awful,” head coach Mike McCarthy said Friday morning in his weekly appearance on Shan & RJ. “Just the outpour of concern for him, I mean he was just playing off the charts, and that’s the way he practices too. Obviously a big blow, but really your heart goes out to Trevon – make sure he feels the love and support, and we’ve got to keep moving forward.”
The 25-year-old signed a five-year, $97 million contract extension, a reflection of his status as one of the game’s top corners and an indispensable part of the Cowboys defense.
He already was making the deal look worth it, forcing a fumble while recording three tackles in Week 1, then recording his first interception of the season in Week 2.
“This is the best I’ve ever seen him,” McCarthy said. “He had a great offseason, his training camp was – the confidence that he was playing with, his ball skills are just off the charts, I’ve never seen anybody like him. Actually, the injury occurred when he was competing for a ball down in the red zone 1-on-1. So he’s always all over the ball.
“On a personal note, you could see him start to grow. Things were really lined up for him to be one of our leaders, obviously with the new contract and everything, but you could see him growing in every way possible. This is a challenge he’ll attack, that’s just the way he’s wired, but most importantly I just want him to make sure he feels the support. We’ll obviously miss him as a player, but he’s a big part of our team, our culture and everything we’ve got going here.”
With Diggs out, DaRon Bland will step in and play opposite Stephon Gilmore, with Jourdan Lewis slotting in at nickel corner.
Although losing Diggs is a tough development, McCarthy sounded confident that the in-house personnel will be up for the task.
"We’re very fortunate," MCCarthy said. "This is a reflection of where we are as a defense, our depth is very, very strong. This is a great opportunity for both men, and I clearly anticipate that they’ll both step up and we’ll keep moving forward as a defense. I think it’s a great reflection of where we are on defense."