Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs, safety Donovan Wilson miss practice for different reasons

Already thinned by a Covid outbreak, the Cowboys’ secondary took two additional hits and this time to key starters. Here’s how they’ll cope in the meantime. | From @KDDrummondNFL

This week has been a bit of a whirlwind when it came to the Dallas Cowboys and the health and availability of their secondary members. The safety position started the tumble when on Monday it was learned that free agent Malik Hooker and 2021 sixth-round pick Israel Mukuamu were being placed on the Coivd Reserved list along with WR CeeDee Lamb.

The issue was compounded with the public learning that Damontae Kazee, another free agent signing, was told to stay away from the team while he was being re-tested. That snowballed when starting strong safety Donovan Wilson was walked off the field by head trainer Jim Mauer with an unknown situation. That situation is now clear, a groin injury that is keeping Wilson out of practice Wednesday; but it comes with more news. Top cornerback Trevon Diggs is out too, with a non-Covid illness.

Diggs and Wilson are seen as the cornerstone youth players of the Dallas secondary.

The Cowboys still have two weeks remaining before they open the season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and still have a final preseason contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars. For now, the club is not planning to postpone the final exhibition and has a large percentage of their players vaccinated.

The Diggs illness shouldn’t be a problem, but there has to be some concern about a groin injury for Wilson, at least until the severity is clear. If he’s out for an extended period of time, the club has had good results from a third safety FA signing in Jayron Kearse. He or Darian Thompson would slide into the lineup.

For now, several down-line secondary players are going to get first and second-team reps.

The veterans Kearse and Thompson will have starting duties at safety, but third-round rookie Nahshon Wright will slide into the starting RCB role while Diggs is out. UDFA safety Tyler Coyle will get some additional snaps along with veteran Steven Parker.