It’s been a tough six weeks so far for the Dallas Cowboys defense. That unit ranks last in the NFL in passing defense and 31st in points allowed.
After a pair of road games against the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, Dallas is home in Week 7 to take on NFC East foe Washington. The Commanders are looking to bounce back after a last-minute loss to the Chicago Bears on ‘Monday Night Football’ in Week 6.
Dallas’ defense will have to slow them down without cornerback Trevon Diggs for a bizarre reason.
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said the two-time Pro Bowler suffered a concussion at home Thursday night and won’t play Sunday against the Commanders, per The Athletic’s Jon Machota.
Diggs is off to a rough start this season. Per Pro Football Focus (PFF) data, Diggs is allowing a 154.9 passer rating when targeted. He’s allowed three touchdowns in coverage through six games which equals his season-long total allowed last year in 11 games.
Concussion recovery timetables vary from player to player. Diggs will be out for Week 7 against Washington and might not be good to go for Dallas’ Week 8 game on the road against the Denver Broncos.
With Diggs out, the Cowboys’ depth chart points to C.J. Goodwin as the next man up at outside cornerback. Goodwin has started one game in his 10-year NFL career – his rookie year in 2016 for Atlanta – but has played in all six games for the Cowboys this season. All of his 141 snaps this season were on special teams.