Trevon Diggs's ACL injury update (Credits: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Trevon Diggs, a cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys, tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during practice on Thursday.
According to ESPN Insider Adam Schefter, Trevon Diggs suffered a knee injury during the early portion of a one-on-one drill in practice.
Trevon Diggs, who this summer signed a 5-year, 97-million-dollar contract extension, was one of the best cornerbacks of the NFL last season and started off strong this season.
Trevon Diggs is out for the season (Credits: Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
What Does Diggs’ Injury Mean for Cowboys defensive structure?
Diggs’s injury leaves a huge hole in the defense side of the team, but the Cowboys have a good depth to replace the position. Stephon Gilmore, former Defensive Player of the Year, will likely take his place as the team’s top corner.
DaRon Bland, the second-year Cornerback, will play alongside Gilmore and Jordan Lewis, who returned from a Lisfranc injury last week and could also fill the gap in the defense, and the recently arrived Noah Igbinoghene from Miami is another option. He was the one who scored the first TD in the opener against the New York Giants, playing 29 snaps (14 at outside corner, per Pro Football Focus) in Week 1.
The two-time Pro Bowl CB Diggs posted on his Twitter to thank fans for the support and promises he will “be back and better”:
Playing quarterback in the NFL is difficult. Time is a huge factor required for learning and mastering the complications of the position. Only the best players with sufficient endurance, support, and training overcome the obstacles.
Tom Brady, Matt Ryan, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, Eli Manning, Carson Palmer, and Alex Smith all retired from the NFL in recent seasons. Those seven QBs averaged around 240 starts and 412 touchdown passes during their careers. There are no super-seasoned quarterbacks to replace them.
NFL starting QBs are getting younger (Credits: NFL)
Statistical Analysis
The average age for quarterbacks has been the youngest since 1957. Young isn’t necessarily poor at the game, but quarterbacks who are successful enough to start deep into their 30s are generally better than any pool of less-accomplished players.
From 2017, the average age of the quarterback has fallen from (30.3) to 2023 (27.9), which is the largest for any six-year span.
When Ryan and Brady retired last season, the average age dropped from (29.2) to this season (27). There are four categories for splitting the experience into years, from 1-4 years experience, 5- 8 years experience, 9-12 years experience, and 13+ years experience.
This year, around 15 players have one to four years of experience, nine players with five to eight years of experience, six players with 9 to 12 years of experience, and two players with 13 and above years of experience. Quarterbacks with less experience generally can handle less of the playbook, which sometimes results in schemes that defenses can solve more readily.
Bruce Young (Credits: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
High experience, High win percentage
There is also a recent statistical analysis that shows that experienced QBs have better competition percentages and win percentages compared to less experienced QBs.
There is a recurring nature to such things in the NFL, but in this current era where training, nutrition, and additional safety rules are lengthening careers, especially for quarterbacks, a run of poor drafts has been the reason from 2006 to 2016, leaving a void that could compromise the level of play.
We do know the average age, for starters, has not been lower in more than six decades and that this marks a huge change from only six years ago. It’s something to keep in mind when watching how this season and the next several plays out.
Cleveland Browns (Credits: Nick Gammett/Getty Images)
The Running Back is returning to the Cleveland Browns on a one-year deal worth over four million Dollars. The team has officially announced the signing.
Hunt’s return comes as an important replacement for Nick Chubb’s season-ending knee injury after the loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Chubb was officially placed on injured reserve on Wednesday.
Hunt spent his entire 2023 offseason waiting for a market opportunity to play a significant role in the NFL.
Although he made several visits to interested teams during his training camp, he never materialized such a role until Monday night.
Kareem Hunt (Credits: Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Cleveland’s Realization
As the market value of running backs notably increased over the summer, Hunt was left without a future plan. Meanwhile, Cleveland seemingly carried on without Hunt and didn’t express any interest in him.
After Hunt requested a trade in 2022 from the Browns due to disagreements over his usage with head coach Kevin Stefanski, which led to damage their relationship permanently.
An unfortunate injury happened to Hunt’s close friend, and his former teammate suddenly changed everything between Hunt and the Browns. Cleveland quickly realized just how much they were depending on Chubb.
On Monday night, the elite runner exited with a severe, gruesome knee injury. This led to asking the second-year back Jerome Ford to suddenly carry the Browns offense that hasn’t yet proven itself capable of being able to pass the bar limitation.
Knowing Hunt was still available and was living in the area, Cleveland made one of the most predictable phone calls in history, and in less than 24 hours, Hunt and his hometown team were reunited.
Hunt is more likely to carry a huge chunk of load than he ever did while sharing the field with Chubb. We will see if he’s up for the task and manages to do it.
Arkansas Razorbacks vs Kent State (Credits Nelson Chenaut)
As we go into week 3, there are still a lot of things to caution about, despite how things turned out in the last game.
Yet another week came to pass, with the Hogs stumbling against one of the worst teams in FBS.
It would not come surprisingly, as the glaring issues saw last week having the opportunity to be around for another.
The Mistakes That Almost Cost The Game.
The mistakes from the first half of the game have shown improvement in the second as the Hogs sustained long scoring drives.
The second halve’s drives saw the Hogs scoring only two of four and bled the clock in the final 6:05
The slow start to the game was contrary to last week’s opening drive, which ended up in a touchdown.
The Hogs went and did the opposite against the Golden Flashes and punted after the first three possessions.
After this, Andrew Armstrong secured a 5-yard strike from KJ Jefferson and extended their lead to 14-6.
We are only in the second week, and slow starts might indicate a Sam Pittman trend instead of the Briles-Enos issue.
The run game continued to be stagnant, with the opponents going as far as provoking the Hogs to pass.
But with a better second half, the Hogs managed to up their yards per rush average up to 3.8 after a poorly performed first quarter.
AJ Green came up with a solid day and rushed for 82 yards on 15 carries. As a team, the Hogs rushed for 172 yards, which was 60 yards short of their average per game in the past two seasons.
Si Sports has reported the coach’s comments as Pittman has said that it was frustrating for the kids and the coaches as they were not running the ball consistently and promised that it is something they will have to work on.
The blocking through the two games was another thing that added to his demise as the Hogs rotated linemen during Saturday’s game when they were trying to settle who the best five would be.
KJ Jefferson (Credits: Getty Images)
None of them have been dominating positions against weaker opponents, which also contributed to why they were not dominating the line of scrimmage.
They were not moving through and blocking particularly well in their game.
The little to no movement from the Arkansas offense was another concern to QB KJ Jefferson, as his team had only 14 yards of offense before a second-quarter outburst could come through.
Kent State performed well the whole game; they went out and executed their game plan well to a point where even Jefferson told his guys that the defense was doing its job well, and they would have to wake up and do the same.
Optimistic Takes From The Game.
One positive take from the game was when Antonio Grier’s first play as a Hog was a pick-six.
It was a back-to-back week when an Arkansas linebacker scored a touchdown in the first game.
This was also highlighted by the absence of their startling LB, Chris Paul. The whole team’s defense was the most consistent unit for the season.
Sam Pittman (Credits: Getty Images)
So, in the second half, the Hogs only yielded 74 yards and -30 yards in rushing. They were also active in the backfield, with 11 TFL, seven sacks, and one pick-six.
Armstrong had a knack for finding the endzone with two receiving touchdowns, and this made the Texas A&M-Commerce transfer lead the team in receptions with 4 for 21 yards.
The Dallas Cowboys are gearing up for the 2023 season with high hopes of clinching their first Super Bowl victory since 1995. However, they faced an unsettling setback on Monday when their starting left guard, Tyler Smith, had to exit practice due to what was characterized as “hamstring discomfort.” This situation brought back memories of the previous year when their left tackle, Tyron Smith, endured a torn left hamstring.
On Tuesday, there was a development concerning the injury of the second-year guard.
As reported by David Moore from the Dallas Morning News, an MRI examination has verified that Smith indeed has a hamstring strain. Moore mentioned that team owner Jerry Jones expressed optimism about Smith’s ability to participate in Week 1.
MRI confirms that LG Tyler Smith suffered a hamstring strain, a person w/ knowledge of the injury said.
Owner Jerry Jones said earlier Tuesday he was confident that Smith would be ready to go for Sunday’s regular season opener.
MRI confirms that LG Tyler Smith suffered a hamstring strain, a person w/ knowledge of the injury said.
Owner Jerry Jones said earlier Tuesday he was confident that Smith would be ready to go for Sunday’s regular season opener.
Cowboys: Tyler Smith Experienced A Hamstring Strain
Although there is more clarity regarding Tyler Smith’s injury, there is still uncertainty about his availability for the season opener. The main concern for the Cowboys is how long he might be sidelined if he can’t play. This is a significant issue for the team since their offensive line depth isn’t strong, especially after the preseason.
Tyler Smith Via SportsOnline/Twitter
The Cowboys have two offensive linemen, Josh Ball with a hip injury and Matt Waletzko with a shoulder injury, currently on the injured reserve list.
We should expect to gain more information on Wednesday when the Cowboys resume their practice. Tyler Smith took over the left tackle position for most of the season for the previous eight-time Pro Bowler. During the regular season, he participated in 99 percent of the team’s offensive plays, totaling 1,144 snaps. In this timeframe, he was flagged for 13 penalties and gave up six sacks, according to Pro Football Focus.
Dallas Cowboys gearing up for the 2023 Season Via Getty Images.
The Cowboys’ offensive line might face a challenging task ahead. It’s not just Dexter Lawrence positioned on the inside, but also edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, who is aiming to make significant progress in his second season, is a formidable threat.
While Cowboys fans are eagerly anticipating the 2023 season, the team’s management is actively strategizing for 2024 and the years beyond. This strategy involves parting ways with several well-known veteran players. Although it may be emotionally challenging for Dallas fans, it is a necessary move for the franchise to ensure effective salary cap management.
