There’s no point denying it. Seahawks safety Quandre Diggs is having a bad season. It’s just been easy to ignore with so many other defensive issues going on and Diggs having been solid or superb every other year in Seattle. However, Diggs’ whiffed tackle on Deebo Samuel’s touchdown this past Sunday was a glaring reminder that the team’s normally-elite free safety is just… off in 2023.
The evidence for Diggs’ regression is all over the Seahawks’ film. Since the start of the regular season he’s frequently been a step late in coverage and he’s consistently had trouble tackling. Heading into Week 15 Diggs has allowed a career-worst 105.1 passer rating and has missed 11 tackles (13.1%). For the season Pro Football Focus has him graded out below 50.0 in coverage and just above it in tackling.
Part of it is the nature of playing safety in the modern NFL, where even great players have bad games, bad stretches and yes, sometimes bad seasons. The easiest way to imagine yourself trying to stop Justin Jefferson from catching a pass from a pro quarterback – or imagine trying to tackle someone Deebo Samuel’s size when you’re Quandre Diggs’ size – and imagine doing this all well on a consistent basis in front of millions of people every week and then report back. Peaks and valleys are to be expected. Another example is Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen also suffering a significant regression this year after a very promising rookie season – to some extent it’s just part of playing the hardest positions in the game.
It might not be fair to hold DBs to a high standard every year, but fans aren’t always reasonable – and Seattle’s are understandably peeved right now. If you need further evidence of how rough it’s been for No. 6, check out the replies the team got on Twitter when they shared a post promoting Diggs for what would be a fourth-straight Pro Bowl appearance…
Retweet to #ProBowlVote for @qdiggs6! https://t.co/wLIz8rU6vp pic.twitter.com/UIT5TQnOQm
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 13, 2023