Trevon Diggs’ Return Still on Hold, Questions Linger in Dallas
Trevon Diggs is getting closer, but he’s not quite back yet. The Cowboys’ star cornerback, who was designated to return from injured reserve back on November 30, still hasn’t been activated. And with each passing week, the situation grows more curious.
Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer offered some insight into the team’s thinking ahead of Week 15, making it clear that the decision to keep Diggs sidelined isn’t being made lightly. According to Schottenheimer, he and Diggs had a detailed sit-down conversation before the game against the Vikings, laying out exactly what the team expects from the All-Pro corner before he returns to action.
“I told him not only the reasons why but also the standards and expectations,” Schottenheimer said. “I’m always going to have real conversations.
I would never not play a player and not explain to them why they weren’t going to play. I know he feels he’s ready, but in our long conversation, I thought I made it very clear.
And so I’ll leave it at that.”
Diggs, for his part, sounds frustrated-but still professional. He’s been practicing, he says, and doing what’s asked. But the results haven’t changed.
“From the first conversation that we had, it was practice,” Diggs said. “I guess I wasn’t showing them what they wanted to see in practice.
This week, I showed them what they wanted to see in practice and it’s still the same result. I don’t know what else I need to do or what to show.”
There’s a quiet tension in his words. Diggs isn’t calling anyone out, but the message is clear: he feels ready. Now it’s just a matter of waiting on the coaching staff’s decision.
“At this point, I feel like it’s not even up to me or what I do,” he said. “It’s really up to them, and what they want to do.
I’m just showing up every day. I’m going to go to work.”
Veteran quarterback Dak Prescott has taken notice. He pulled Diggs aside and offered some advice-something only a team leader with Prescott’s experience can do effectively.
“It was just about keeping his head up,” Prescott said. “I told him simple as this: On Monday, ask what they expect from you.
You have to plan it throughout the week, so you can make sure you do exactly that. So you know what’s needed for you to become active and to get back to being the guy that you are.
And he accepted that.”
It’s a subtle but important moment for the Cowboys. Diggs is a difference-maker when healthy-one of the league’s most dangerous ballhawks.
But after missing significant time with a torn ACL, the Cowboys are clearly being cautious. Whether that caution is purely medical, based on practice performance, or something else entirely remains unclear.
What is clear: the Cowboys are holding Diggs to a high standard, and they’re not rushing him back.
Eagles’ Mukuba Still Sidelined, Return Not Imminent
In Philadelphia, safety Andrew Mukuba remains on the shelf. The rookie defensive back is eligible to come off injured reserve this week, but according to defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, that’s not happening just yet.
Mukuba is still recovering from an ankle injury, and Fangio didn’t sugarcoat it-he won’t be back for a while. It’s a setback for a Philly secondary that could use some reinforcements, but the Eagles are playing the long game here. No need to rush a young player back before he’s ready, especially with the postseason looming.
Giants’ Jaxson Dart Unfazed by Physical Gameplans
Over in New York, rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart continues to take hits-literally and figuratively. In Week 15’s loss to Washington, the Commanders made it clear in team meetings: treat Dart like a running back, and hit him every chance you get.
That kind of gameplan might rattle some young quarterbacks. Not Dart.
“Absolutely not,” he said. “Kirby Smart said the exact same thing every time he played against me.
So did Nick Saban. So did every coach that I played in college.
This is nothing new. Just try to go out there and play smart.
Be available for my team.”
It’s a mindset that speaks to Dart’s toughness. He’s been knocked out of games four times this season due to the league’s concussion protocol, but he keeps coming back. And rather than shy away from the attention, he welcomes it.
“It just gets me excited. Just as a competitor, you want to go out there and compete,” Dart said.
“Obviously, they’re acknowledging respect in a way. So I appreciate that.
You want to go out there and play really good for your team.”
He’s not wrong. When a defense crafts its gameplan around you, it means they see you as a threat. And Dart is embracing that challenge.
“We do the exact same thing when we go against defenses,” he added.
Interim head coach Mike Kafka is standing behind the league’s safety measures, even if it means losing his quarterback mid-game.
“I’m not going to get into the injury stuff and the refs, but that was their decision,” Kafka said. “They’ve got to make a decision for the betterment of the players.
If they feel like a guy has got dinged up, then they’ve got to make that call. I respect it.
It’s all for player safety, and so I support it.”
Kafka’s message is clear: safety comes first. And if Dart has to come out, the team will adjust. It’s the next-man-up mentality that defines this league.
Final Thoughts
Across the NFC East, three teams are facing very different challenges. The Cowboys are managing expectations with a star defender coming off injury.
The Eagles are staying patient with a young safety. And the Giants are watching their rookie quarterback take a physical beating-and keep getting up.
It’s December football. Every decision matters. And for these teams, how they handle these moments could shape the rest of their season.