FRISCO, Texas — When Trevon Diggs stepped on the field for the Dallas Cowboys to take on the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Stadium on Sept. 8, he was doing so having conquered his rehabilitation from a torn ACL, and several weeks ahead of schedule, no less, having initially started training camp on the PUP (physically unable to perform list).
His first game back culminated in an interception against Deshaun Watson that led to a flood of emotion as he made a beeline to assistant head coach and defensive backs coach Al Harris for a heartfelt hug — the two having established a profound friendship that extends beyond the traditional player-coach dynamic.
" I didn't feel it until I actually was out there like, wow, I'm actually back," said the record-setting All-Pro cornerback. "So yeah, it was emotional for me."
It's the result of more work than many could fathom, as illustrated by fellow All-Pro and best friend Micah Parsons.
"Oh man, I told you he has more to him than you think," said Parsons. "That's just who he is, man. Those who haven't been injured, and God willing and thank God I've never had a season-ending injury in my career, but that road is hard. When you can't walk and you can't really move around by yourself, you constantly need someone to help you and to fight through. What he went through that whole year after the start he had, and then to hurt himself from practice.
"I know it was very emotional, and for him to come back four weeks earlier than what people thought he would come back, the guy's a true warrior, so I think he deserved to have all his emotions out there and I'm glad it paid off. He had a great game too."
That he did, suffocating the Browns' wide receivers alongside Jourdan Lewis and rookie cornerback Caelen Carson, and capping the afternoon off with the aforementioned interception that required him to hawk the ball all the way to the tops of the blades of grass.
In the end, he allowed only 23 yards on six receptions, targeted 10 times, with no touchdowns.
"It felt good," said Diggs. "Emotions were high. Just being able to go out there with my teammates and stuff, I missed them. So just being able to go out there and be able to compete, it just felt good to be back. … Yeah, I'm comfortable. Game 2, I'm going to be a hundred percent better. That's about getting better every day, every game and just keep growing."
One thing is for certain and that's the fact Cowboys' fans will likely blow the roof off of AT&T Stadium when Diggs is introduced at the home opener on Sept. 15 against the New Orleans Saints. His appearance this coming Sunday will mark the first time he's played in Arlington since Sept. 17 against the New York Jets in 2023.
In case you missed that math, it will be almost exactly one year to the day.
He also has a chance at adding to his already historical career in Week 2, because if he can grab an interception against the Saints, he'll become only the fourth player since 1980 to have 20 interceptions through his first 50 games (he will have done it through his first 49 games) — joining the ranks of Ed Reed, Marcus Peters and Richard Sherman.
"It's going to be a good moment," Diggs said. "It's still football, [though]. At the end of the day, I'm excited to be back in Dallas and put on a show for the fans."
He'll need to, given the ability of Derek Carr and his stable of weapons.
The more interceptions, the better.
