In September 2023, Cowboys star cornerback Trevon Diggs went down with a torn ACL.
Seven months later, Diggs is looking to lead the secondary once again.
He was coming off back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons and a historic 2022 campaign that tallied 11 interceptions and 21 passes defensed.
That year earned him an All-Pro nod, and when he went down nobody thought Dallas could replicate that production.
However, second-year corner, DaRon Bland had other things in mind.
Blend himself had a historic season following in Diggs’ footsteps.
The 5th-round Fresno State product had 5 pick-sixes, 9 interceptions, and 15 passes defensed.
That was the most in NFL history, and he finished fifth in DPOY voting as a result.
Now, the question is which star corner will lead the Cowboys’ secondary in 2024.
And can Diggs provide that at all considering his recent injury?
For such an athletic defender who relies on explosiveness to get to the football, how is he going to adapt coming off a major knee injury?
There is an interesting example in Dallas’ past that might help us answer that question.
Comparing Diggs to Sean Lee
In 2013, Cowboys Linebacker Sean Lee delivered an electric season.
The Penn State alum had four interceptions and 99 tackles in just eleven games played.
He cemented himself as the leader of the Dallas defense and a future defensive star in the NFL.
Then, he suffered an ACL tear in the lead-up to the 2014 season.
His response to that injury was coming back better than before.
In the two seasons after, 2015 and 2016, Lee was a two-time Pro Bowler, an All-Pro, and a DPOY candidate.
That comeback from Lee is the blueprint for Diggs as he works himself back to being the head of the Dallas secondary.
The question is, can Diggs also come back in this fashion?
There is at least some major optimism from Diggs, his teammates, and the coaching staff.
His counterpart, Bland, thinks the Diggs return is going to be “dangerous”.
If Bland is right on this and Diggs pulls a Lee with his comeback, the Cowboys’ secondary could be one of the best in the league.
Because of his early-career successes, many forget Diggs is still very young and new to the position.
It is entirely possible the time that has passed has put him in an even better spot.
So, what could a refined, more polished Diggs look like?
Lockdown Coverage Corner?
The major critique of Diggs in his short NFL career has been his coverage skills.
This even developed into a meme during his 11-interception season.
Truthfully, Diggs’ coverage ability was never as bad as people made it out to be, it was more of a narrative than a fact, especially in 2022 and 2023.
He has been steadily improving in this area.
However, he is a ballhawk, not a coverage mechanic like Stephon Gilmore.
Diggs takes risks and when it pays off, it is a huge play, but sometimes it does not work out.
That’s the nature of the position more than it is a flaw in his game.
But, what if Diggs got to a point where he was getting those turnovers and consistently shutting receivers down?
This should be the goal for Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer and the coaching staff.
It would allow Bland, a ballhawk in his own right, to continue to take high-potential risks while Diggs sticks on receivers in coverage.
We saw shades of this in 2022, as Diggs lowered his interceptions from 11 to 3.
This was a combination of teams throwing at him less and improved coverage ability.
He dropped his yards allowed from 790 in 2021, to 630 in 2022.
Whether Diggs dominates in his return or plays second fiddle to Bland, his presence alone will be a major boost.
The Cowboys’ defense is immediately better with Diggs on the field