Getty Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, left, and head coach Mike McCarthy.
Trevon Diggs tweaked his right ankle in last week’s drubbing of the Giants, an injury that is threatening the Dallas Cowboys‘ top cornerback’s availability for Sunday’s road tilt at New England.
Diggs was listed as a “DNP” (Did Not Participate) on the team’s injury report following Wednesday and Thursday’s practices. On Friday, head coach Mike McCarthy announced the sophomore stud will be a game-time decision.
“He just needs to keep progressing. If he keeps making progress, I think he’ll be ready to go,” McCarthy said on 105.3 The Fan, adding that Diggs will continue to work with Cowboys director of rehabilitation Britt Brown in the lead-up to the Week 6 contest.
However, ESPN’s Ed Werder pointed out a possible “disconnect” between McCarthy and owner/general manager Jerry Jones, who declaratively stated that Diggs (and left tackle Tyron Smith, who’s battling a neck issue) will be “ready to go” against the Patriots.
“We’ve gotten full, positive reports on Tyron, and Diggs will be ready to play,” Jones said Friday on 105.3 The Fan. “There’s no being coy about it. There’s every reason to let them get rested, and let them ease off of the issues they might have had. But they’ll be ready to play.”
The Cowboys will conduct a light practice Saturday before departing for Foxborough. Perhaps an update on Diggs will emerge then — but no later than Sunday afternoon, 90 minutes prior to kickoff, when the team releases its inactives.
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Diggs Not Worried About Ankle
The Defensive Player of the Year favorite briefly exited in Week 5 but returned to action, his ankle taped. Diggs finished the Giants rout with five tackles (three solo), two pass deflections, and his NFL-leading sixth interception, logging 57 — or 83.8% — of the defensive snaps.
Addressing reporters on Thursday, and in response to collective hand-wringing over his status, Diggs insisted “I feel good” and tamped down the injury as “nothing.”
“I’m still taking it day by day, just going to see how I feel. … I mean, you’re going to get little nicks and bruises,” he said, per Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News. “It’s nothing for real. It is what is.”
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Smith Had ‘Precautionary’ MRI
The perennial Pro Bowl blindside protector was a late addition to the injury report Thursday with an apparent neck malady that popped up in practice. Smith — who missed all but two games last season due to a neck stinger — underwent a “no-brainer” MRI which returned “favorable” results, McCarthy confirmed Friday.
“Obviously with his history, we’re just being smart,” he said, per the official team website.
A linchpin of the league’s best offensive line, according to Pro Football Focus, Smith is listed as questionable for Week 6, though, barring an unforeseen setback, will start against the Patriots.
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