Trevon Diggs aims to return for season opener
Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs is rehabbing his left knee after undergoing chondral bone graft surgery Jan. 23, which entails transplanting pieces of bone tissue into the joint to stimulate growth.
While he was expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2025 season, Diggs told Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News that his goal is to return in time to play Week 1.
Diggs, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in the same knee during a Week 3 practice in 2023, is rehabbing in Miami. He is attending the team's mandatory minicamp this week, though he is not cleared for on-field work.
Diggs twice has made the Pro Bowl, but he has played only 13 games combined the past two seasons because of his knee injuries.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Fox Sports
an hour ago
- Fox Sports
Sauce Gardner says new Jets coaches trying to get 'perfection' out of him is what he needs
Associated Press FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Sauce Gardner is trying to cook up an even better version of himself this season for the New York Jets. And the star cornerback's new defensive coordinator is pushing him to get there. 'It's so many things that I feel like Sauce can do,' Steve Wilks said during the Jets' three-day minicamp this week. 'Again, the word 'consistent.' He's been a Pro Bowl player. How consistent can he be to take it to another level? And that's one of the things that I challenged him Day 1 when we had our conversation.' Gardner saw Wilks' comments and appreciated them. 'He was talking about me just being the same each and every week, and that's borderline perfect,' Gardner said Thursday. 'I know I'm not perfect, but the fact that he's trying to get perfection out of me is what I need.' Gardner was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft out of Cincinnati and established himself as one of the league's top cornerbacks during his first two seasons with the Jets, which included being selected the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year and making the All-Pro team in consecutive years for then-coach Robert Saleh and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. But after what has been perceived by some as a down season — he didn't make the All-Pro or Pro Bowl teams — Gardner is out to prove his naysayers wrong. 'I feel like it's always been noise surrounding me after each of my years that I've played,' he said. 'I've always been like the underdog.' And Wilks and new coach Aaron Glenn are helping provide the motivation. 'The last thing I need is a new regime to come in here and just allow me to be complacent,' Gardner said. 'Not saying that's who I am, but it's just great to have those types of guys that's going to demand a lot out of me and just push me in ways that I've never been pushed before.' Gardner's first two seasons had some comparing him to Pro Football Hall of Famer Darrelle Revis in the way teams had to be wary whenever they threw the football in his direction. Some of Gardner's critics, though, said he often got away with holding receivers and his coverage last season slipped. Also, Gardner had just one interception and a career-low nine passes defensed. 'I feel like I played pretty smooth,' Gardner said. 'After all of my years, I always think there are things I can be better on. But it's never as bad as people try to paint it to be." The analytics site Pro Football Focus supports Gardner's assessment, giving him a 91.9 coverage grade since 2022 that leads the league. His 46 forced incompletions are an NFL best in that span, as is his 0.60 yards per cover snap. 'I felt like, and you guys feel the same way, that he's one of the top corners in the league, but that consistency of being that dominant player each and every week, that's what we're looking for and that's been his challenge this offseason,' Wilks said. "He's very gifted and I told him sometimes your greatest strength is your greatest weakness. He's a guy that sometimes that 85% is still better than everybody around him. 'So his thing is, and I told him, compete against yourself. That's where he has to get better, which he will.' Glenn and new general manager Darren Mougey believe Gardner is a foundation piece for the franchise, which is why the Jets picked up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract. Gardner is in line for an extension — he declined to say whether he wants to be the league's highest-paid cornerback — and opted to participate in mandatory minicamp rather than hold out to try to push for a new deal. 'My main focus is being the best football player I could be,' he said. 'But my team and the Jets have been talking and I feel pretty good about how the talks have been going.' The same for those talks Gardner has been having with Glenn and Wilks about his business on the field. 'Here's what I want Sauce to do and here's what I've talked to him about who he needs to be,' said Glenn, a three-time Pro Bowl pick during his playing days as a cornerback. "When you do lead, just let your influence do all the talking. Like, how do you operate in the huddle with the players, in the locker room That speaks more than the rah-rah guy. 'And he understands that because influence to me is what really leadership is about. Like, how do you influence your other teammates? How do you influence people around you no matter what? And I think he's done a really good job of that.' ___ AP NFL: recommended in this topic


USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
James Cook explains why he attended Bills minicamp despite contract holdout
James Cook explains why he attended Bills minicamp despite contract holdout The Buffalo Bills welcomed running back James Cook in Orchard Park for the first time in awhile this week. The Bills held mandatory minicamp the past few days and every player is required to attend. However, Cook has skipped out on voluntary workouts earlier this spring to send a message to the Bills: He wants a new contract. That still hasn't come his way, but all along Buffalo's front office said when Cook was required to be there, they thought he would be. That held true with his appearance at One Bills Drive this week and general manager Brandon Beane downplayed the Cook situation. 'It's voluntary; we know that and we've had it before, even with players who weren't lobbying for a new contract,' Beane said at minicamp. 'Jimbo is a pro. He's a competitive dude; he loves to win, and of course he wants to take care of himself. From Cook's point of view, showing up came down to a simple answer. "I like my money, you know," Cook said with a smile. The Pro Bowl added that being a good teammate factored in, too. For more from Cook, see the attached clip below:


USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Deshaun Watson is out of sight – but not out of mind
Deshaun Watson is out of sight – but not out of mind – at Browns minicamp Show Caption Hide Caption Greg Olsen talks Tight End University and what he's excited for in the 2025 NFL season Greg Olsen stops by to talk about another year of Tight End University and who he's excited to watch as the NFL season inches closer. Sports Seriously BEREA, Ohio – The four Cleveland Browns quarterbacks stood near midfield and awaited their turn to try and make one final impression before summer recess. The fifth quarterback watched from the weight room located on the edge of the practice-field end zone. Rehabbing a twice-ruptured Achilles and not a factor in the much-publicized 2025 Browns quarterback competition, Deshaun Watson pulled on bands and lunged his legs while facing the direction of the field. Watson, who played 19 games over three seasons for the franchise since being traded here from the Houston Texans and signed a $230 million fully guaranteed contract, will miss significant time, if not the entire season, according to the Browns. That prompted the team to sign one former veteran (Joe Flacco), trade for a young player with starting experience who's now on his third team in three years (Kenny Pickett) and draft two rookies, Dillon Gabriel (third round) and Shedeur Sanders (fifth). Watson was mostly out of sight during the three days of mandatory minicamp. But his presence in the quarterback room has resulted in him serving as a resource for the younger signal-callers, Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski said, 'which is a great message about being a great teammate' to any player, young or old. 'I think there's value in just being around your teammates,' Stefanski said. For Gabriel, currently third on the QB depth chart, having Watson in the team facility has been an opportunity to nudge the three-time Pro Bowl selection with a question or thought confirmation. He tries to sit near Watson during the quarterbacks' meetings with the offensive line or the entire offensive unit to do just that. Browns' 'high-level' quarterback room has Super Bowl MVP, 2 rookies and some fun On Tuesday morning, for example, Gabriel peppered Watson with questions about red-zone offense, which was a priority over the course of minicamp. 'I think it's super cool that we do have five guys that can speak to their own experience,' he said. As the foursome, wearing their no-contact orange jerseys on the final day of team minicamp, ran through drills, Watson focused on his rehab. Watson's second Achilles rupture took place outside of the team facility and the Browns restructured his massive deal – signed amid facing dozens of sexual assault and harassment allegations for inappropriate behavior with massage therapists during his time with the Texans. Shedeur Sanders battling at Browns camp: 'I got time to grow and mature' His future with the Browns beyond this year is murky although he is under contract through the 2026 season with a full no-trade clause. Of his 2024-25 compensation, $58.1 million was insured, per Spotrac. In 2025, Watson will largely be an afterthought to those outside the building. For a team still trying to figure out its quarterback situation in both the short and long-term, his presence is a reminder of how wide the gap is between thinking a franchise quarterback has been secured – and actually having that be the case.