The Dallas Cowboys are a better team with Trevon Diggs on the field. An All-Pro, the $97 million man is one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL. However, Diggs suffered a tough knee injury during the season, and there are questions about whether he’ll ever return and be the same player he once was.
If the Cowboys look to move him for draft picks, it could help them find his eventual replacement, as he’s dealt with more than just this injury throughout his career.
PFN predicted it would happen, predicting Diggs would be traded to the Detroit Lions in the offseason.
“If the Lions get creative, they could add someone who has proven to excel in a man-coverage-heavy defense. Diggs leads all cornerbacks with 20 interceptions since debuting in 2020, including 11 in 2021 when he was First Team All-Pro. That year, the Cowboys ranked third-highest in man coverage usage (38.4%).
“However, Diggs may not best fit Dallas’s new defensive coordinator, Matt Eberflus. When Eberflus was head coach of the Bears, Chicago ranked only 20th in man coverage rate. On the other hand, the new Lions defensive coordinator, Kelvin Sheppard, will presumably run a defense similar to the one that led the league in terms of man coverage rate last season (41.4%),” PFN wrote.
The Lions are in a win-now situation and could be willing to give up assets to help the Cowboys.
Why the Cowboys Could Trade Diggs
Beyond his injury concerns, the Dallas Cowboys need to make some moves this offseason. Whether that’s moving a big piece of the team like Diggs remains to be seen, but something has to change if the Cowboys want to be the team they’re looking to be.
If the Cowboys traded Diggs, it’d save them just $1.5 million in cap space, according to Michael Ginnitti of Spotrac. That isn’t much, but something is better than nothing, especially if they got decent draft compensation in return.
“Diggs is entering Year 3 of a 6 year, $99M total value contract in Dallas and is still trying to recover fully from a 2023 ACL injury. He’s a largely productive/impactful player when available, and the Cowboys don’t currently have a viable replacement on the books – but this is a Dallas team that desperately needs to rebuild through the offensive and defensive trenches this offseason.
“A Diggs trade can provide both cap/cash relief (only $1.5M of cap saved), and additional draft compensation. An acquiring team would essentially be bringing in Diggs on a 1 year, $10M contract as none of his 2026-2028 compensation is guaranteed,” Ginnitti wrote.
When Will Diggs Return?
Diggs didn’t have surgery until January, something the Dallas Cowboys couldn’t have been too happy with. However, it was due to the growing of the graft to “ensure best results,” according to Todd Archer of ESPN.
Archer added that Diggs will likely be out some of training camp, if not longer, leaving his 2025 season in question.
“Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs had chondral tissue graft surgery Thursday on his left knee and the recovery could keep him until parts of training camp if not longer, according to multiple sources,” Archer wrote.
