Cowboys' Jones laments losing 'irreplaceable' Diggs to season-ending injury
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones addressed Trevon Diggs' season-ending injury on Friday, acknowledging there's nothing his team can do to replace the star cornerback for the remainder of the year.
"You can't do that," Jones said when asked about Dallas potentially making a move to add another high-profile corner, according to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. "That's just not real. That's like saying that 'I want to be Tom Cruise.' You don't replace these irreplaceable players."
Diggs suffered a torn ACL in a non-contact one-on-one drill at Thursday's practice. The Cowboys later announced that the two-time Pro Bowler is expected to miss the 2023 campaign.
A second-round pick in 2020, Diggs became a cornerstone of Dallas' defense. The Alabama product, who's appeared in 47 games since entering the NFL, led the league with 11 interceptions en route to earning a first-team All-Pro berth in 2021. He racked up three pass breakups, a pick, and a forced fumble through this season's first two games while helping the Cowboys start the year 2-0.
"No one has the impact he has," Jones said of Diggs, who signed a five-year, $97-million extension in July. "The facts are that we do have depth. We don't have depth with somebody with his unique abilities, but we've got depth relative to playing the position."
DaRon Bland is expected to start opposite cornerback Stephon Gilmore, whom Dallas landed as part of an offseason trade from the Indianapolis Colts. Jourdan Lewis will replace Bland in the slot.
The Cowboys' cornerback depth chart still features 2020 first-round pick Noah Igbinoghene and sixth-round rookie Eric Scott Jr.