Trevon Diggs and the Cowboys: A Star-Crossed Partnership Nears Its Breaking Point
It wasn’t all that long ago that Trevon Diggs was the toast of the NFL. In 2021, the Dallas Cowboys cornerback lit up the league with 11 interceptions - two of them returned for touchdowns - and looked every bit like a rising superstar.
That kind of production doesn’t just happen by accident; it takes instincts, confidence, and a willingness to take risks. And for a while, those risks paid off in a big way.
But fast forward to 2025, and that once-electric connection between Diggs and the Cowboys is showing serious signs of strain. The cornerback’s recent claim that he was healthy enough to play in Sunday’s loss to the Vikings has only added fuel to an already simmering fire. And when Jerry Jones speaks publicly about a player’s role - or lack thereof - it’s usually a sign that something deeper is going on.
Jones Questions Diggs’ Style - and Health
On his regular appearance with 105.3 The Fan, Jones didn’t just question whether Diggs was physically ready to return - he went a step further. He suggested that Diggs’ playing style demands a certain level of health that the cornerback simply doesn’t have right now.
Jones said Diggs has a tendency to “go away from the scheme to make a great play,” and when those gambles don’t hit, they can result in “a bad, bad play.” That’s a pointed critique, especially coming from the team’s top decision-maker.
It also echoes something Jones has said before about Micah Parsons - though in Parsons’ case, the tone was far more forgiving. Parsons has earned the right to freelance.
Diggs, at this stage, hasn’t.
The Numbers Tell a Story of Decline
There’s no denying that Diggs’ game has changed since his breakout year. Injuries have taken a toll - most notably the torn ACL he suffered in practice ahead of Week 3 in 2023.
He returned last season and played in 11 games, but another knee issue shut him down again. Now, in 2025, he’s yet to be activated from injured reserve, and time is running out.
The production drop-off is stark. According to Pro Football Focus, Diggs has just six pass breakups over the past three seasons - a span of 668 coverage snaps.
Compare that to the 31 breakups he racked up in his first three years across 1,751 snaps. Yes, the sample sizes are different, but the trend is clear: the burst and closing speed that once made Diggs a turnover machine have faded.
This season, he hasn’t recorded a single pass defended. The last time he broke up a pass?
Week 14 of last year. And the advanced metrics paint an even bleaker picture: Diggs is allowing 19.6 yards per reception and a sky-high 154.9 passer rating when targeted.
That’s not just below average - that’s bottom-of-the-league territory.
A Style That No Longer Fits the Situation
Diggs has always been a gambler. It’s part of what made him special during that 2021 campaign.
But with diminished athleticism and a string of injuries behind him, his margin for error is now razor-thin. Freelancing in coverage only works if you have the physical tools to recover when things don’t go as planned.
Right now, Diggs doesn’t.
That’s why Jones’ comments about playing within the scheme carry weight. The Cowboys need stability in the secondary, not volatility. And if Diggs can’t provide that - or if he insists he’s healthy while the team disagrees - the friction is only going to grow.
The Endgame Approaches
Saturday looms large. If Diggs isn’t activated off injured reserve by then, he’ll revert to season-ending IR. That would all but guarantee that his 2025 campaign is over - and likely signal the end of his time in Dallas.
The writing’s been on the wall for a while now. The tension between player and team has been bubbling beneath the surface, and now it’s spilling out into the open.
Once the season ends, Diggs will have his chance to speak. But even before that happens, it feels like this relationship has reached the point of no return.
For the Cowboys, the focus will shift to what’s next in the secondary. For Diggs, it’ll be about proving he still has something left in the tank - whether that’s in Dallas or somewhere else. Either way, the days of Diggs as the Cowboys’ ballhawking centerpiece appear to be coming to a close.