'Should we have waited?' – Cowboys take a shot at Trevon Diggs and another starter as team kicks off training camp
Just once, I wish the Dallas Cowboys could hold their inaugural training camp press conference with the main topic being football and not about the team’s issues regarding contracts. On Monday, the Cowboys’ press conference spearheaded by owner and GM Jerry Jones, EVP Stephen Jones, and head coach Brian Schottenheimer, saw the team’s brass fielding plenty […]
Just once, I wish the Dallas Cowboys could hold their inaugural training camp press conference with the main topic being football and not about the team’s issues regarding contracts.
On Monday, the Cowboys’ press conference spearheaded by owner and GM Jerry Jones, EVP Stephen Jones, and head coach Brian Schottenheimer, saw the team’s brass fielding plenty of questions about Micah Parsons’ pending extension, and other issues.
One of the biggest moments from it was Jerry Jones seemingly taking a shot at a couple of Cowboys starters: Right tackle Terence Steele and cornerback Trevon Diggs.
At one point of the press conference, Dallas Morning News reporter Joe Hoyt asked Jerry why the front office didn’t wait as late to extend Steele and Diggs like they’ve done with Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and now, Parsons?
Jones answered the question with another question, which came off as a shot to both Steele and Diggs: “Frankly… should we have waited?”
To Jones’ point, since the Cowboys paid Steele, the right tackle hasn’t been the same, largely because of a season-ending knee injury he suffered prior to signing the extension. Steele returned to form run blocking in 2024 but struggled in pass protection for the second consecutive year. As for Diggs, he’s missed 21 games since being extended in 2023. The front office has been openly critical of the cornerback’s rehab process.
Even if Jerry has a point, it’s never a great look to take shots like that at two players in line to start for the team. Earlier in the press conference, he suggested paying Parsons didn’t guarantee he wouldn’t suffer an injury. He pointed toward him and quarterback Dak Prescott missing multiple games in 2024.
Stephen Jones added a factor in extending Diggs and Steele early was “willingness.” In those cases, neither player was signing at the top of the market like Lamb and Prescott did last year. Parsons is expected to become the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL when he signs his next contract.