The Dallas Cowboys have released cornerback Trevon Diggs amid his injury-plagued season, ESPN reported Tuesday.
Diggs will immediately hit waivers and could become a free agent if he clears waivers. If a team claims him, they’ll reportedly be on the hook for the $472,000 base salary and $58,823 bonus he’d get for being active for Week 18.
Rumors of the Cowboys potentially moving on from Diggs grew in recent weeks as he spent nearly two months on injured reserve. Diggs missed eight games after sustaining a concussion in an accident at home, something Diggs waited two months to try to explain to reporters. He said he was hit in the head by a mounting pole while trying to install a TV. The team said Diggs’ delayed return was more about issues with the 27-year-old’s knees.
Asked during the absence what the team needed to see from Diggs to get him back on the field, head coach Brian Schottenheimer said the sixth-year player needed to show consistency in many areas in practice and in meetings. Owner Jerry Jones flatly said near the end of the absence that Diggs wasn’t healthy enough to play.
A person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press the decision on Diggs wasn’t the result of a specific incident.
Diggs’ departure was a culmination of factors, including performance and off-field issues, and the move was best for Diggs and the Cowboys, the person said on condition of anonymity because the team wasn’t commenting specifically on Diggs.
The Cowboys withheld a workout bonus in Diggs’ contract after he spent last offseason rehabbing his latest knee injury with his own medical personnel. He was also benched by Schottenheimer early in the season for reasons the coach never fully explained.
Diggs eventually returned to the Cowboys’ lineup in Week 16, but he’s largely struggled this season. Opposing quarterbacks have posted a perfect passer rating (158.3) when they’ve targeted receivers Diggs has covered this season, as the cornerback has allowed three touchdowns in eight games, per Pro Football Focus.
Diggs briefly emerged as one of the best cornerbacks in football not long after the Cowboys selected him in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. That helped him get a five-year, $97 million extension ahead of the 2023 season. However, the two-time Pro Bowler has only played 21 games since then, tearing his ACL in the 2023 season and undergoing an operation to repair the same knee in 2024.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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