Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy shed more light on Trevon Diggs’ season-ending ACL injury.
McCarthy said, “It makes you sick when you see one of these guys go through this,” during a conference call on Friday.
The head coach said the focal point right now is focusing on Diggs as a person, saying he needs the love and support.
McCarthy said this is all “part of the adversity to win a championship,” but it’s still a “punch to the gut” for the team. McCarthy saw Diggs in the morning, and nothing has been set yet regarding surgery.
McCarthy shed more light on how it happened, saying the video shows that the injury occurred when Diggs stepped on a receiver’s foot during a one-on-one red zone drill in the Cowboys’ outdoor grass field.
Thank you for all the prayers and I appreciate everyone for checking on me!
This is just God’s Plan. I will be back and better!
🙏❤️ pic.twitter.com/taUQavX69e— SEVEN (@TrevonDiggs) September 21, 2023
He said it was something that could have happened anywhere and that it wasn’t a “drill issue.”
As for how the team will move forward and game plan, he says the coaches have a meeting today and will ultimately decide tomorrow after the team’s final practice before heading out to Arizona.
Will the Cowboys Search Outside the Organization for CB Depth?
McCarthy shed light on this loss being an opportunity for their defensive depth moving forward.
He praised Stephon Gilmore and said he needs to continue just being himself, meaning making his presence felt on the field and being a role model for the younger players around him.
With Jourdan Lewis returning, they can move him to the inside at nickel and put DaRon Bland on the inside at boundary.
McCarthy called Bland a professional young player that he is very confident in.
However, Nahshon Wright can return from injured reserve in Week 4 against the Patriots and add more depth and relief to the position.
Will Trevon Diggs’ Injury Change How the Cowboys Practice?
After reports stated that Diggs got injured during a one-on-one drill at practice, questions started circulating asking why the players were doing those drills on a Thursday practice ahead of a Sunday game.
On 105.3 The Fan, McCarthy said skill development always continues during practice since training camp happens in a limited time.
The head coach explained the need for the one-on-one drills for defensive backs and receivers, saying, “Everything you do in the passing game is based on time clock, so those reps are necessary.”
Overall, McCarthy doesn’t see one-on-one drills as a high-risk drill.
Jerry Jones interviewed 105.3 The Fan on Friday as well, saying he wishes he could roll the clock back to the start of the week.
He said he met with Diggs directly after the injury occurred, and they both knew his season was over, calling it a setback for everyone.
When Jones was asked about the injury occurring during the one-on-one drills, he brought up the example of the Cowboys’ practicing with the Raiders when Al Davis was the principal owner and general manager.
“He would walk out in the middle of a drill and say, ‘Boys, I’m not going to use this guy up. I’m not going to expose him in August. I’m going to need him in January, no, the drill is over,'” said Jones.
He said this doesn’t work for everyone on the team, but for the irreplaceable players, it needs more thought, even though hindsight is 20/20 now with Diggs.
However, he acknowledged that this is a game of repetition as well.
But, after hearing both Jones and Mike McCarthy address this, it will be interesting to see how it is handled with key players going forward.