The Dallas Cowboys head to Mile High for Week 8 with a secondary held together by duct tape and prayer.

Trevon Diggs has been ruled out again, and now he’s on injured reserve, sidelined a minimum of four games. The real gut punch? Both starting safeties are down, too. Malik Hooker (toe) and Donovan Wilson (shoulder/elbow) will not play, and top backup Juanyeh Thomas is also out.

WATCH: Diggs Down: Cowboys IR Bombshell & Trade Deadline Fallout | Cowboys Daily Blitz Podcast

That’s three safeties and your CB1 off the board in one week.

Now it’s on defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus to reshuffle everything on the fly—cover shells, pressure packages, and who handles the post vs. box snaps. Expect more conservative split-safety looks, heavier zone on early downs, and blitzes that protect green replacements rather than expose them.

Meanwhile, Diggs’ IR move poured gasoline on the rumor mill.

Can the Cowboys trade him while he’s on IR? Short answer: Yes. Thanks to 2018 rule changes, players on IR can be traded—once they’re medically cleared to practice. After a deal, the acquiring team has 21 days to activate him or park him on season-ending IR. So the IR doesn’t block a deal, but the timeline and medical clearance do.

Dallas doesn’t need a top-five defense to beat Denver, just situational stops.

READ MORE: Diggs Down: Cowboys IR Bombshell & Trade Deadline Fallout | Cowboys Daily Blitz Podcast

But with the back end stripped, the pass rush has to win fast, and tackling must be airtight. Offensively, this is a “score first, stay aggressive” script to keep the Broncos chasing.

The Cowboys are walking into altitude with a skeleton crew on defense and a decision tree on Diggs that stays very much open. Next man up is no longer a slogan … it’s the game plan.