Eagles Rookie Benched for Disciplinary Violation — Hasn’t Played a Single Snap After Nick Sirianni’s Punishment
Philadelphia, PA – October 25, 2025
The Philadelphia Eagles’ promising undrafted rookie offensive lineman has yet to take the field this season — and now head coach Nick Sirianni has broken his silence about the decision.
For weeks, speculation grew across Eagles Nation about the mysterious benching. Fans wondered if it was due to conditioning, roster depth, or lack of experience. But Sirianni has set the record straight.
“He’s got the tools, no doubt,” the Eagles coach said. “But here in Philadelphia, talent isn’t enough. You earn your wings by discipline, not reputation.”
The player in question is
Hollin Pierce, the former Rutgers standout who stunned scouts with his incredible journey — shedding over 100 pounds and transforming himself from a longshot into a legitimate NFL prospect.
At Rutgers, Pierce started 50 consecutive games, becoming a cornerstone of the offensive line. He earned All-Big Ten honors twice and was named the school’s first All-American offensive lineman since 2009.
Despite going undrafted in 2025, the Eagles quickly signed him, impressed by his versatility and work ethic. During camp, he flashed power and patience but reportedly struggled with mental assignments during practice.
According to multiple team insiders, Pierce was repeatedly corrected for skipping reads, missing blocks, and ignoring route adjustments, drawing frustration from position coaches early in the season.
That lack of focus led to a clear message from Sirianni — accountability before opportunity.
“He’s not sitting because we’ve given up on him,” he clarified. “He’s sitting because he needs to learn what it means to play like an Eagle.”
For now, Pierce remains on the
Sirianni’s tone carried both firmness and hope.
“He’s a talented young man with a bright future,” he said. “But in this city, you don’t just play for yourself — you play for the standard.”
Cowboys Make Fateful Trevon Diggs Decision as Mystery Concussion Lingers
On October 17, the Dallas Cowboys two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs walked into the team’s practice facility in Frisco, Texas, exhibiting symptoms of a concussion. He was diagnosed by medical staff and sent home, as well as placed in the NFL’s concussion protocol.
The circumstances that led to the apparent head injury for the 27-year-old Diggs — younger brother of New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs — were unclear at the time, and more than a week later remain unclear. Coach Brian Schottenheimer said only that Diggs had experienced some sort of “accident” at his home the previous evening.
On Friday of this week, Schottenheimer said that the team had become aware of what happened to Diggs, but he would not make the information public unless Diggs chose to do so himself, according to ESPN reporter Todd Archer.
What is certain, however, is that Diggs was ruled out of last weekend’s home game against the Washington Commanders — won by Dallas with a 44-22 margin — and that the team also ruled him out of Sunday’s late afternoon showdown in the Mile High City against the Denver Broncos, a game that will be televised to most the country in the CBS network’s 4:25 p.m. Eastern time slot.
Diggs Placed on IR
The Cowboys made the decision to rule Diggs out of the Denver game on Friday. On Saturday, the team made an even more fateful decision — placing the six year veteran on the injured reserve list.
The decision means that Diggs must miss at least the next four games, including Sunday’s Denver matchup. How many games Diggs will actually end up missing this season remains to be seen, but it will be a minimum of five.
That means 2025 will mark the third consecutive season in which Diggs has missed at least five games for his team. He sat out all but two games in 2023 with a torn ACL, and missed another six in 2024 as the knee continued to cause problems for him.
Knee a Factor in Cowboys Diggs Decision
According to longtime Cowboys insider Ed Werder, in a report on Saturday, the continued effects of the two-year-old knee injury were also a factor in the decision to send Diggs to IR.
“While Trevon Diggs missed last week’s game because of a concussion, I’m told it was residual problems with his right knee that prompted the Cowboys to place him on IR today,” Werder wrote. “Team source says they want to get him healthy and (the Cowboys are) not that deep at corner so his eventual return (is) possible.”
Werder’s optimism about Diggs “eventual return” was not shared throughout the Cowboys mediasphere, however. According to Richard Louis of the Dallas sports site SportDFW, the latest decision to sideline Diggs could spell the end of his Cowboys career.
Diggs May Have Played Last Cowboys Game: Report
“Back in 2023, Diggs and Dallas agreed on a five-year, $97 million extension, but it looks like a disaster in retrospect,” Louis wrote. “He hasn’t been able to stay healthy, and patience is starting to wear thin in the Lone Star State. … With frustration continuing to rise in Dallas, this latest injury likely means Diggs’ tenure in Dallas will come to an end sooner rather than later.”
Owner Jerry Jones, who would be the ultimate decision-maker when it comes to Diggs’ future in Dallas, expressed his own frustration with the 2020 second-round draft pick, when asked about Diggs by reporters earlier this week.
“There’s no reason to dwell on it anymore,” Jones said, asked about Diggs’ injury by the Dallas Morning News. “I don’t know the status of Diggs as we move forward, but I feel better about being able to play if we don’t have him out there.”
