Trevon Diggs' Injury Is a 'Punch to the Gut' for Cowboys, Mike McCarthy Says

The Dallas Cowboys are feeling devastated after losing cornerback Trevon Diggs to an ACL tear.

Head coach Mike McCarthy acknowledged that the loss as a "punch to the gut" to the team as a whole but said that the rest of the defense will need to step up in Diggs' absence.

"Obviously you feel sick (for) him," McCarthy said, per Todd Archer of ESPN.com. "It's definitely a punch to the gut for our football team, but this is an opportunity for our defensive depth to stand up and continue to move forward."

McCarthy continued by saying that the injury was not a result of a "drill issue" and instead was just the unfortunate result of two players battling for the football. He then said the team is focused on working through adversity and being supportive to Diggs as he undergoes his recovery.

"This is an example of what we're talking about when we speak on culture, the strength of the locker room," McCarthy said, per Archer "It's something that you're going to have to deal with throughout the season. It's part of the adversity to win a championship. The focal point really for us is really on Trevon, the person, because he needs our love and support, but this is part of the NFL. It's definitely unfortunate."

Diggs suffered the injury during practice on Thursday while participating in a red zone one-on-one drill. This is a huge blow to the Cowboys' defense as Diggs is one of the NFL's premier cornerbacks, with 18 interceptions and 173 tackles recorded across 47 career games.

Diggs had already recorded an interception and four tackles through two games in 2023. The Cowboys reportedly plan to slide DaRon Bland from the slot to Diggs' position on the outside and Jourdan Lewis will fill the No. 3 cornerback role.

Notably, the Cowboys still feature 2019 Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore at cornerback and have a defensive unit that has surrendered just 10 points through two games in 2023. This team looks to have Super Bowl ambitions, but the loss of Diggs means that the depth will need to show its talent.

The Cowboys will continue the journey without Diggs on Sunday when they face the 0-2 Arizona Cardinals Sunday at 4:25 P.M. ET.