The Dallas Cowboys’ 2024 season was one to forget. The team dealt with several injuries throughout the year, including to quarterback Dak Prescott and defensive star Micah Parsons, and finished the season with a 7-10 record.
Now, Cowboys CEO and co-owner Stephen Jones shared a concerning update about the recovery of two defensive players ahead of next season, including an All-Pro cornerback and two-time Pro Bowler.
Trevon Diggs, DeMarvion Overshown Likely To Miss Start of 2025 NFL Season
The Cowboys’ defense is expected to start next season with two significant absences.
Trevon Diggs and DeMarvion Overshown are not expected to recover in time from the season-ending injuries they suffered in 2024, putting their availability for the early games of the 2025 season in doubt.
Stephen Jones said the Cowboys are likely not going to have Trevon Diggs or DeMarvion Overshown at the start of the season.
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) April 1, 2025
In January, Diggs had surgery on his left knee to receive a chondral tissue graft, while Overshown sustained a devastating knee injury in December 2024, tearing his ACL, MCL, and PCL in his right knee. He later underwent surgery to repair all three ligaments.
The bad news is that the Cowboys’ defense struggled mightily without those players in 2024, ranking 25th in PFSN’s Defensive+ metric last season.
To make matters worse, DeMarcus Lawrence left in free agency, and Dallas has yet to resolve the contract situation with star edge rusher Micah Parsons — a potential issue that could complicate the start of the season if a holdout occurs.
In 2023, Diggs signed a five-year, $97 million contract, with $42.3 million guaranteed. His current average annual salary of $19.4 million makes him the 10th-highest-paid cornerback in the NFL.
The Cowboys did make targeted moves in free agency to bring in players who can help cover for the absences of Diggs and Overshown for the first few weeks of the season.
If Diggs isn’t available to start the season, cornerback Kaiir Elam — a former first-round pick by the Buffalo Bills in 2022 — would likely have to step in.
The Cowboys acquired Elam and a 2025 sixth-round pick from the Bills. In return, Buffalo received a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick. He would line up opposite fellow All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland.
Linebackers Kenneth Murray Jr. and Jack Sanborn were signed to one-year deals and are expected to contribute as rotational pieces early on. However, at some point, Overshown’s return will be essential for Dallas’ defense to regain the level of competitiveness it showed two seasons ago.
The Cowboys currently hold the No. 12 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. There’s been plenty of speculation about which position the team might target in Round 1, with strong offensive options, including wide receivers, likely to be available and the possibility of Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty falling to Dallas.
However, a move to bolster the defense can’t be ruled out, especially in a class loaded with talent at defensive line, cornerback, and linebacker. Georgia’s Jalon Walker and Alabama’s Jihaad Campbell are two names to watch if the Cowboys choose to strengthen that unit.
According to PFSN’s Mock Draft Simulator data, Cowboys fans want the team to select a wide receiver with the No. 12 overall pick rather than add defensive reinforcements. Last week, 41% of Cowboys users on the Mock Draft Simulator selected a wide receiver in the first round, and the two most commonly selected prospects are Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan (15.4%) and Texas WR Matthew Golden (12.6%).
Interestingly, the next most targeted prospects are Jeanty (11.8%), Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka (9.4%), and North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton (5.3%). Eight of the 10 most popular targets for Cowboys fans are offensive players, with the lone exceptions being Texas A&M EDGE Shemar Stewart (4.2%) and Georgia EDGE Mykel Williams (3.4%).