Trevon Diggs, much like the Cowboys as a whole, hasn’t had the best season in 2024. The fifth-year pro has struggled making an impact in the secondary this season and frustration has been visible. The ballhawk who once posted 11 interceptions in a single season only logged a single pick through the first eight weeks of the current campaign.
With fellow All-Pro CB DaRon Bland sidelined with injury all year, it’s been a revolving door at the position opposite Diggs. This Flavor of the Week situation at the other CB spot has been a popular target for opposing quarterbacks looking for easy gains. Combined with the Cowboys poor run defense, it’s created an environment in which Diggs is rarely targeted in coverage. His 4.6 target rate (through Week 10) has been well below career averages and has often rendered Diggs more of a run supporter than coverage specialist.
Like most CBs, Diggs isn’t thrilled to stick his face in the ceiling fan as a run supporter. He’s proven capable but doesn’t always look willing or overly engaged. It’s led to his worst season as a run supporter and the highest missed tackle percentage of his career (20.5%).
But on Sunday in Week 10 against the Eagles, Diggs showed everyone exactly what he brings to the table and why the Cowboys inked him to a five-year, $97 million extension last summer.
Incredible play by 7️⃣ @TrevonDiggs pic.twitter.com/dfPMQQbdEY
— NFL (@NFL) November 10, 2024
Diggs’ diving interception in the end zone might have been the play of the game Sunday if the outcome hadn’t had been so lopsided in the end. With the game in the balance and the Eagles charging downfield to build on their four-point lead, Diggs extended all 6-foot-2 of himself to thieve a Hurts pass intended for Dallas Goedert.
It was a play only a handful of CBs can do in the NFL and a reminder of how special Diggs is for the Cowboys. Diggs might not be the type of player a team builds their defense around, but he is one that can put a defense over the top.
By avoiding him in coverage and targeting him with the running game, opponents can effectively eliminate Diggs from the equation on defense. Such is the nature of the position.
In many ways Diggs’ “down season” is nothing more than a byproduct of the circumstances. If the Cowboys weren’t begging teams to run on them, more passes would be directed downfield. If Dallas had more competent CB play to pair with Diggs on the boundary, QBs would be less likely to focus all their efforts opposite Diggs.
For as disappointing as the season has been for Diggs, he remains a special building block of this defense. It’s the Cowboys fault for not fielding a competent roster around him.
Digg’s tremendous interception reminded everyone how special the 26-year-old ball hawk is. Dallas just needs to fix things around him.
Related articles
- The good, bad and ugly from the Cowboys in Week 10
- Wasting turnovers among key takeaways in Cowboys loss
- Trevon Diggs has to prove his value to NFL all over again
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