It is hard for defensive backs to get their hand on the football in the modern NFL. Interception rates have been declining for years and are down noticeably from even a decade ago. With that context, veteran CB Trevon Diggs’ 2021 season stands out even more as a remarkable accomplishment. In his second season, he snared an NFL-leading 11 interceptions, taking two of them back for touchdowns as a little cherry on top. No one else has hit double-digit picks since. 

Of course, 2021 was a long time ago. Diggs tore his ACL in 2023 and hasn’t played a full season since due to persistent issues in that knee. There were also conflicts between him and the Cowboys over his rehab and not attending OTAs. The Cowboys ultimately ended up releasing him last season amid some severe defensive struggles and ahead of a major non-guaranteed salary in 2026. 

It’s quite possible Diggs is done in the NFL and we just don’t know it yet. However, he is still just 27 years old, young enough to potentially have some gas left in the tank if he can get his knee healthy and land in the right scheme. It might take until training camp or the early part of the season, but there will inevitably be a team short on cornerbacks willing to take a shot on Diggs and find out what he has left. 

Diggs, 27, was drafted in the second round out of Alabama by Dallas in 2020. He signed a four-year, $6.32 million rookie deal that included a $2.157 million signing bonus. 

Diggs was set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2024 when he signed a five-year, $97 million contract extension, which included a $21.25 million signing bonus with Dallas.

Dallas let him go near the end of the 2025 season, however and he was claimed by the Packers. Green Bay released him this past offseason. 

In 2025, Diggs appeared in nine games for the Cowboys and Packers and recorded 27 tackles, one tackle for loss, and no interceptions or pass defenses. 

We have him included in our Top 100 Available NFL Free Agents list. 

Chicago Bears

The peak of Diggs’ career came with DB coach Al Harris, who has since continued to build a sterling reputation as a position coach. Harris has coached the NFL leader in interceptions three out of the past five seasons, including Diggs in 2021, Cowboys CB DaRon Bland in 2023 and Bears S Kevin Byard last year. So it would be easy to see how both Diggs and Harris might be open for a reunion if things line up the right way this year. 

The Bears as a team led the NFL in interceptions last year but opted for a major overhaul of the back five this offseason. Some of that was because they got back starters who missed significant time due to injury last season like CB Jaylon Johnson and CB Kyler Gordon. Other pending free agents they opted not to re-sign. Johnson and Gordon are pretty locked in as starters, with Tyrique Stevenson tenuously holding on to the final starting role if he can find some consistency in the final year of his rookie deal. 

If not, there’s an opportunity for recent mid-round picks like Terrell Smith or Malik Muhammad to unseat him. However, if there are injuries that deplete the Bears’ depth, or if the younger options on the depth chart prove not to be ready for an expanded role, Chicago could take a flier on Diggs. There are more “ifs” to sort through of course, like Diggs’ health, but this is a name to keep in mind for Chicago. 

Washington Commanders

Sticking with the coaching connections theme, Diggs’ peak came when Commanders HC Dan Quinn was running the defense in Dallas. Now he’s in Washington. While Quinn has given his defensive coordinators primary custody of the defense, his fingerprints are still on the system. There may be other concerns with Diggs, but familiarity and projectability with the defense probably wouldn’t be issues for the Commanders. 

Washington’s secondary has been a pain point the last two years, as Quinn is still seeking to recapture the level of success he had with the Cowboys on that side of the ball. They’ve invested recent second-round picks into Mike Sainristil and Trey Amos while also adding Amik Robertson and Ahkello Witherspoon as free agents. The current hope is that the veterans provide enough of a floor to bank on the young options like Sainristil and Amos taking a leap forward. 

Behind those four, the depth is rough. Diggs is a huge wildcard at this point in his career but his familiarity with Quinn, track record when healthy and the fact that he’d likely be available for the veteran minimum are all factors that should make him a consideration for Washington, especially if injuries thin the room even further in August or September. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay could be in the market for reinforcements in the secondary before Week 1. They’ve sunk a lot of draft capital into the room the last two drafts, spending second, third and fourth-round picks on Benjamin Morrison, Jacob Parrish and Keionte Scott respectively. Figuring out who starts and where alongside top CB Zyon McCollum will be one of the defense’s main tasks in training camp. 

Behind the top four, though, the depth chart is thin. Damarion Williams, Chase Lucas, Josh Hayes and Kemon Hall are battling to round out the roster. Diggs has a far more impressive track record than any of them at this point, and would bring the benefit of veteran experience to a room that otherwise would be super young. 

There are other stronger coaching connections for Diggs around the league but it’s at least semi-notable that Buccaneers defensive pass game coordinator George Edwards was a senior defensive assistant for Diggs’ first three seasons in Dallas. He had a front-row seat for the best years of Diggs’ career and wasn’t around when the relationship started to sour. That could help facilitate a signing down the road.