One of the Dallas Cowboys most crucial financial decisions over the next calendar year is what to do about cornerback Trevon Diggs. A 2020 second-round pick from Alabama, Diggs has excelled after the Cowboys were ecstatic to still have him on the board after having CeeDee Lamb fall to them on Day 1 that draft. Dallas would’ve taken Diggs in Round 1, that’s how enamored they were with his skillset and he’s done nothing but prove them right since.
With 17 interceptions over his first three seasons, the most in the NFL, he’s spearheaded the team’s ability to lead the league in forced turnovers not once, but back-to-back seasons. With only two collegiate years on defense, the converted wide receiver continues to make strides improving his game, augmenting his gambling style with situational knowledge. While some denigrate him for the chances he takes, he’s well revered around the league.
In ESPN’s latest poll amongst league execs and coaches, Diggs ranked No. 8 in corners entering the 2023 season.
8. Trevon Diggs, Dallas Cowboys
Highest ranking: 3 | Lowest ranking: Unranked
Age: 24 | Last year’s ranking: 10The classic risk-reward corner, Diggs can tilt the game with a splashy interception or engender queasiness with his chance-taking.
As one NFL personnel evaluator pointed out, all offensive coordinators should run plenty of double moves on Diggs to make him bite.
But it’s hard to argue with 49 pass breakups and 17 interceptions since 2020. Teams value ball production, and Diggs has it. That’s why several voters put him in their top three.
“I think he’s gotten better at gambling overall. It’s still a hindrance to his game, in my opinion,” an NFC personnel man said. “I think if he can be more calculated with his ways he can be viewed more like an Asante Samuel Sr.”
An explosive corner, Diggs has reached 20-plus mph on 36 different plays since 2020, which tops the league, per Next Gen Stats.
The Cowboys have four huge stars who have contract needs over the next two seasons. As a second rounder, Diggs is not beholden by the team’s fifth-year option process like Lamb and 2021 first-round pick Micah Parsons are. Diggs is an unrestricted free agent following this season. But while the club will be required to make a decision with him before anyone else, they don’t necessarily have to do things in that order.
The Cowboys could work out an extension at any moment between now and next March, knowing they have the ability to place a franchise tag on the young star to extend their negotiating window a bit further.
The 2024 franchise tag for cornerbacks is expected to be around $20.1 million according to Over The Cap. The corner market has been a bit depressed since Jalen Ramsey’s deal in Los Angeles with the Rams from 2020, but as Diggs is the quintessential turnover producer, he’ll likely surpass Jaire Alexander as the league’s highest-paid corner when he gets a new deal.
Now paired alongside future Hall of Famer Stephon Gilmore, Diggs is finally matched by a top-tier competent boundary corner, which could boost his interception totals closer to his mind-numbing 11 of 2021 than his three from 2022.
If so, the price tag will only go up.