OXNARD, Calif. — For the first time since being cleared to practice and being activated off the physically unable to perform list, cornerback Trevon Diggs spoke to the media on Wednesday about his journey back to the field.
It was a long 10 months for Diggs – who said that he will be slowly integrating himself back onto the field after being cleared – as he spent time in his availability reflecting on the longest injury recovery he's ever experienced.
"I'm super excited," Diggs said. "I haven't played football in a long time. Just being able to be out here, practicing with them, seeing everything, it's been a blessing. I can't be more thankful."
Diggs reflected on missing the camaraderie of his teammates the most while having to watch from the sidelines last season, as he has quickly integrated himself back into the culture of the team with a growing friendship with DaRon Bland as well as daily breakfast meetings with Micah Parsons and Mike Zimmer.
"You have that family feeling when you come to practice, come to work every day," he said. "Me not being able to be there with the guys, I felt that was the hardest part. Really, those guys are like my brothers. Being away from them and the team, not being able to go to war with my brothers was the hardest part."
A key part of Diggs' recovery was fellow starting cornerback Jourdan Lewis, who himself suffered a severe injury in 2022 that sidelined him for an extended period of time.
"He helped me out a lot," Diggs said. "He went on the same journey that I went on. Just stay into it, staying positive and being thankful. It got me through it a lot. People say it goes by fast, but this was kinda slow. I'm happy it's here now."
If there's any silver lining that Diggs could find in losing 10 months of playing football and instead rehabbing a major injury, he was able to find solace in going through the process alongside three other torn ACLs in DeMarvion Overshown, John Stephens Jr. and David Durden. The lessons he learned from being a part of that group is something he's looking forward to paying forward to the latest major knee injury to hit the Cowboys defense.
"You need somebody to lean on," he said. "It's tough. Like with Sam [Williams]. Sorry it happened to him, but I'm going to be on him, talking to him every day. It's tough. You need somebody there with you for sure. I feel like we were there for each other. I'm going to pay it back to him and be there for him."
While a full return to game speed and game reps is still being worked through slowly at training camp, just being able to work alongside his teammates once again has given Diggs a new perspective on the game going into his fifth season. Now, he's ready to keep his All-Pro status going with that fresh mindset.
"You can't take this game for granted," he said. "Anything can happen. You don't know how valuable it is until it's taken away from you. I'm just thankful I'm back."
