Dallas Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs removed from PUP list, returns to practice

Heading into their second week of training camp, the Dallas Cowboys are removing star cornerback Trevon Diggs from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list on Tuesday, making him eligible to return to the practice field for the first time since his ACL tear last season. The former second-round draft pick out of Alabama worked in limited fashion with the team’s trainers leading up to training camp, but now, he’s finally ready to join his fellow starting defenders at practice.

Though he could have returned to the practice field sooner, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy made it clear during OTAs that the team would proceed with caution. Now, with one week of training camp in the books, Diggs is back. McCarthy told reporters on Tuesday that the corner would continue rehab work, but he’ll begin to do more with the team this week.

Diggs, 25, was off to a fast start before tearing his ACL last season. In two games, he came down with an interception and forced a fumble, leading the way for the Cowboys’ defense. In 2021, he led the league in interceptions with 11. His four-year interception total is now up to 18.

Before tearing his ACL last year, Diggs finalized a contract extension with Dallas that made him one of the highest-paid corners in the league. He signed a megadeal for five years and $97 million.

The 2024 season marks Diggs’ fifth in the league. In his first four seasons, he’s tallied 173 tackles. He’s expected to start once again opposite young phenom DaRon Bland.

DaRon Bland: Diggs’ return will be ‘something dangerous’

The Cowboys defense took a major hit when it lost Diggs. Even so, the team didn’t feel the loss as hard as it would have if they didn’t have a breakout star to take his place. DaRon Bland, now heading into his third year in the league, ended up leading the NFL in interceptions and he also broke the record for pick-sixes in a single season with five.

Despite the success he found in Diggs’ absence, Bland is still over the moon to be getting his teammate back soon. The young corner gave an eye-popping quote about the recovering DB when asked what fans should expect from his return.

“I mean, a lot of people are not expecting what Tre is gonna come back with,” Bland said this summer. “I know what Tre is gonna come back with. It’s going to be something dangerous. Can’t wait.”

The Cowboys will lean on their young star cornerbacks in 2024 after not re-signing veteran Stephon Gilmore. Gilmore remains unsigned as a free agent this offseason.