The Dallas Cowboys find themselves in a weird spot right now. See, the team's offense is playing some of the best football in the NFL, but then post-Micah Parsons defense is ROUGH, which is why the team is 3-3-1 on the year despite scoring 222 points.
So, taking that into consideration, ESPN's Todd Archer's recent suggestion that the team could trade away cornerback Trevon Diggs might seem weird, right? Sure, Diggs is currently sidelined with a concussion and was recently placed on the IR, but he's TREVON DIGGS. You don't trade away a defender as good as...
...oh, wait. I'm hearing that Cowboys do, in fact, trade away good defensive players sometimes. And the word "good" might not even apply to Diggs at this point. Injuries have really stunted his development, and he's just not really the player he used to be. Heck, he might never have been the player that fans thought he was, but that's another story.
So, has Diggs played his final game for the Cowboys already? With the NFL trade deadline approaching, it might be time for the Cowboys to make a change.
The case for trading Trevon Diggs
When the Cowboys drafted Trevon Diggs in the second round back in 2020, the team was likely just hoping he could shore things up in the secondary. You don't expect a second-rounder to be a star.
But Digs was a star at first. After picking off three passes as a rookie, Diggs led the NFL with 11 interceptions in 2021, including a pair of pick-sixes. When the ball came near him, Diggs was likely to pluck it away.
But he was also likely to get burned, something that the interceptions helped hide at the time. Diggs allowed four touchdowns in coverage that year and a completion percentage of just 52.4 percent when targeted, but when the interceptions dried up in 2022, the rest of the numbers took a dip too, with 64.7 percent of passes thrown his way being completed. In six games this season, that number is up to 68.8 percent. and over the past four seasons, Diggs has just six interceptions. He also played just two games in 2023, 11 games in 2024 and is on track to miss a minimum of five games this season now that he's on the IR after already missing a game.
So, Diggs might not be that important for Dallas. With the team in dire need of defensive help going forward, why not deal him now and use the draft capital you acquire to add defensive talent in the offseason?
And as Archer mentions, the team can save all but $2 million of his contract by cutting him after June 1, which, like...that's going to happen, right? It just seems like the Diggs era in Dallas is on its way out, so if you can get anything of value for him during the season, why not do it? Sure, it leaves you even thinner in the defensive secondary, but at this point, Dallas is probably resigned to the fact that it ain't gonna be stopping anyone through the air. And hey, maybe Diggs has been actively making that worse?
Who might have interest in Diggs?
If the Cowboys do end up trading Trevon Diggs, who would be some potential teams that are in the mix?
I think we have to start with the Indianapolis Colts. They're allowing the fourth-most passing yards per game this season, and probably should do something to ensure they aren't wasting what might be the only good year of Daniel Jones' career. You never know when Jones will suddenly revert to being the guy he was in New York, plus he's a free agent after this season, so there's no guarantee he's even the quarterback next year. The window is now. Maybe a change of scenery can help Diggs succeed.
The Steelers should be in on a deal as well. They're allowed more passing yards per game than the Colts and have a similar situation where they don't know what their future holds at quarterback, with Aaron Rodgers probably riding off into retirement after this year and no young replacement on the roster. This is the window for Pittsburgh.
Finally, there's the Jacksonville Jaguars. The offense has been pretty inconsistent so I don't really think they're contenders at the same level as the previous two teams, but when the offense is playing at its best, they can beat anyone. Adding Diggs would potentially help the defense improve so that the team is less reliant on the offense, plus the Jags defense has done a good job creating takeaways despite allowing the sixth-most passing yards per game. Maybe those interceptions are contagious and Diggs can briefly get back to being the guy he was early in his career?