With his recent move to IR Trevon Diggs may have played his last game for the Dallas Cowboys but his replacement may already be in place to take over.
When King Belshazzar’s dinner party was interrupted by a spooky disembodied hand, authoring the words, “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin,” on the wall behind him, it was said “the writing was on the wall” for the Babylonian ruler in BC times. The words informed the king his days were numbered, he would soon be slain, and his kingdom divided. The expression has lived on hardily in western culture, applicable to life, relationship and matters of employment most prominently. It’s an expression that’s been tied the Dallas Cowboys former All-Pro Trevon Diggs for quite some time and grows in inevitability by the day.
If that metaphoric disembodied hand proves accurate for the Cowboys, and Diggs’s days are indeed soon done in Dallas, the long-term replacement might be already on the roster. Shevon Revel, the Cowboys’ third round pick in the 2025 NFL draft, has been working within the 21-day practice window as he nears his NFL debut. Recovering from a 2024 knee injury, Revel has had a long road back that appears well synched to Diggs’ inevitable departure, whenever that may be.
Diggs’ employment with the Cowboys started to fall into question after he reinjured his knee late in the 2024 season. It marked two knee injuries in as many seasons and led to Jerry Jones publicly calling out Diggs’ commitment to rehab in the form of a backhanded compliment. The critique continued in the lead up to the 2025 season when the Cowboys enforced a $500,000 salary de-escalator for Diggs’ lack of attendance in the offseason program. It was the clearest indication that the club’s $97 million investment following the 2022 season hasn’t worked out.
Diggs has played just 19 of 42 games, and counting, since inking the five-year extension.
After Diggs injured himself in an undisclosed home accident on October 16, the Cowboys opted to place their former ballhawk on injured reserve rather than wait for a return. Nothing is official but it certainly feels like Diggs is on his way out of Dallas. He’s still been working with the training staff so that day could be in a few weeks or in a few months, but most agree a return in 2026 is highly unlikely.
Revel’s ability to slide into the vacancy cleanly is somewhat questionable though. Without training camp snaps, very little has been seen of the East Carolina product. He entered the draft as a fairly raw player with just 15 D1 starts under his belt. Tremendously talented, Revel plays man boundary cornerback in much the same way as Diggs. He averaged over one pass deflection per start and has a knack for tracking the ball.
Whether Revel can take Diggs’ role right away or he ramps up to it down the road, the writing is on the wall for the rookie. He’s expected to be a starter.
Like seemingly everyone else, Revel isn’t a great fit for Matt Eberflus’ system. The rangy rookie likes man press and struggles in off and zone. Dallas may throw him to fire or meet him halfway in this regard. Expect wholesale changes on defense between now and next season with surprises left and right. But for these two CBs at least, the writing appears to be on the wall.
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