Mike McCarthy adamant that practice drill didn't cause Trevon Diggs' knee injury

The Cowboys secondary must deal with Trevon Diggs‘ knee injury for the rest of the season. The talented cornerback tore a ligament in practice. And coach Mike McCarthy insists the one-on-one drill, itself, didn’t cause the injury.

Reporters have peppered the Cowboys head coach about the one-on-one drill since Diggs hurt his knee, Thursday. It’s the second time in a month that Dallas lost a player to a significant knee injury while doing that drill. It’s basically a receiver going against a defensive back. Teams use it every day in workouts from high school to the NFL.

“A very safe drill,” McCarthy told reporters, Friday. “When you see the video, it’s something that could happen anywhere, two guys going for the football. It looks like he came down on the foot or stepped on the foot of the receiver. This was not a drill issue at all, by no means.”

The Dallas Morning News noted that on Aug. 23, Cowboys receiver David Durden ran a route during a one-on-one drill against Trevon Diggs during practice. Without any contact, Durden tore his ACL. The injury happened indoors at at Ford Center at the Star. Diggs’ injury happened on the Cowboys outdoor, grass field.

So that’s part of the reason why McCarthy was getting questions. Two ACL injuries in the same drill could be called a trend.

“Obviously, you feel sick about him,” McCarthy said of Trevon Diggs. “It’s definitely a punch in the gut for our football team, but this is an opportunity for our defensive depth to stand up and continue to move forward.”

With Trevon Diggs out for year Cowboys turn to DaRon Bland

With Diggs gone for the season, the Cowboys will start DaRon Bland, who is in his second year, at cornerback. Bland had played nickel. Coaches will look at Jourdan Lewis and safety Israel Mukuamu at nickel when the Cowboys go to five defensive backs.

But McCarthy acknowledged that Diggs’ injury is “just awful,”

“He was just playing off the charts,” the coach said. “That’s the way he practices, too. Obviously a big blow. Your heart goes out to Trevon. … This is our first big shot of adversity. This is a real punch to the gut.”

Meanwhile, on Saturday, the Cowboys listed offensive tackle Tyron Smith (knee) as questionable for the game against the Cardinals. Smith joins fellow offensive linemen Tyler Biadaz (hamstring) and Zack Martin (ankle) as questionable.