Why the Return of Trevon Diggs is Dallas’ Best “Offseason Addition”
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With a record of 12-5 in each of the last three seasons, Cowboys fans are hopeful that this group will be the one to win Dallas another championship. However, with a lackluster offseason, it doesn’t look like the Cowboys improved whatsoever, leaving many to think that this team will fizzle out in the playoffs this season; yet again.
Putting aside any outside noise about the team, there is some good news for Dallas. Trevon Diggs is returning from his ACL injury and that might be the only thing that this team really needs.
Diggs is, without a doubt, one of the best cornerbacks in the league. In his first four seasons with the Cowboys he has had 18 interceptions, which ties him for second on the list in most interceptions since 2020. Take into account that he missed 15 games last season with an ACL tear, and that’s an elite number. Everyone understands how good of a football player Diggs is, yet he seems to fly below the radar when people talk about Dallas’ upcoming season.
The biggest reason for the lack of hype surrounding the return of Diggs, is how bad of an offseason the Cowboys have had. With names such as Leighton Vander Esch, Tony Pollard, Tyron Smith, Stephon Gilmore, and many more out the door, Dallas has not done a great job at getting replacements for these players. Linebacker Eric Kendricks is a pretty good substitute for Vander Esch and Tyler Guyton was a solid offensive tackle pickup during the draft, but the moves have been overall disappointing.
The worst part about this whole “offseason catastrophe” for the Cowboys is that the rest of the NFC East seemingly got better this offseason. Philadelphia went out and got Saquon Barkley, Bryce Huff, Devin White, and drafted guys like Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. New York traded for Brian Burns and gave him a huge five-year contract, while they also got Malik Nabers in the first round who is one of the best wide receiver prospects to come out of college over the last decade. Washington drafted who they hope is their franchise quarterback in Jayden Daniels and also got stud veterans during free agency like Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu. That is not a good look for Dallas, especially since they are looking to win the division this year in what appears to be a tight race between them and the Eagles.
People, particularly Cowboys fans, have every right to be mad at the decisions that Dallas’ front office has made over the last few months; but what if one player could change that?
As mentioned before, Diggs is, statistically speaking, a phenomenal cornerback. Last year before his ACL injury, him and Gilmore were supposed to be one of the best duos in the league. After he got hurt, the duo became Gilmore and sophomore breakout, DaRon Bland, who made headlines when he set the NFL record for the most interceptions returned for a touchdown in a single season with five. Now that Gilmore is gone, it’s up to Diggs and Bland to replicate what those two had going last season, and on paper they should be even better. After all, Diggs is an even better cornerback than Gilmore, and that’s scary to think about.
While it is hard for a cornerback to be a “game changer” like a quarterback or a wide receiver, Diggs is one of the few. With superstar wide receivers in his division like A.J. Brown, Terry McLaurin, DeVonta Smith, and even newcomer Malik Nabers, it is crucial to have a great corner in the NFC East. He has already proved that he can handle most of the top guys in the league, and now he is doing it with another elite guy in Bland lining up next to him.
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While the football world is kicking and screaming about the Cowboys “obsession with losing” and unwillingness to spend money in free agency, it’s kind of easy to see what Jerry Jones and the Dallas front office is doing. They are leaving it up to their top guys, who they put a lot of faith and money into, to go out and perform. That includes Diggs, who inked a $97 million contract less than a year ago. Looking at the corner’s last few seasons, it is easy to why Dallas has so much confidence in a guy who is coming off a major surgery.
Speculation about how the Cowboys might play this year is still going on, but their play on the field will tell the whole story. For now, Dallas is going to keep working with guys like Diggs, in order to ensure that their decisions this offseason were not fatal to the future of this franchise.