The Dallas Cowboys put a lot of trust in second-year cornerback Trevon Diggs in their week one loss, asking him to follow Buccaneers WR Mike Evans. The expectations for Diggs have been high ever since the Cowboys waited until the 44th overall pick to address cornerback in this year’s draft. Kelvin Joseph may see the starting lineup soon, but he did not make his Cowboys debut at Tampa Bay. This left Diggs on an island with Evans, paired with Anthony Brown and Jourdan Lewis as the team’s starting secondary.
Diggs was only targeted by Tom Brady once on his final drive, nearly coming away with a game-sealing interception. His strength as a physical cornerback in man coverage paired well against a big receiver like Evans.
Trevon Diggs shadowed Mike Evans, aligning across from him on 39 of his 47 routes (83%).
Diggs allowed just 1 reception for 10 yards on 3 targets, and aligned in press coverage on over half of his routes vs Evans (51% press).#DALvsTB | #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/jp3kSKBSSh
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 10, 2021
Evans caught one ball against Diggs, and three all game – his lowest output since week 14 last season. It was the Cowboys issues in pass coverage at LB against Bucs TE Rob Gronkowski that hurt them the most, something they have the depth to prepare for with rookie Micah Parsons leading the way, Keanu Neal, Leighton Vander Esch, and Jaylon Smith.
Where they lack depth is CB, making Diggs a mainstay in the lineup although Thursday was just his 12th start. Diggs faces a different challenge against the Chargers next week, with Keenan Allen as their WR1. Allen is a more agile and precise route runner compared to Evans, similar to Trevon’s training camp matchup in Amari Cooper.
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Preparing for his second NFL season against not only Cooper but CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup has given the Cowboys confidence they can at least take away opponent’s first option in the passing game. Where Chargers QB Justin Herbert goes from there next Sunday, with Mike Williams and Jared Cook at his disposal, remains to be seen.
What’s been proven repeatedly is Trevon Diggs’ playmaking ability, and his scheme fit in Dan Quinn’s defense will continue to give him opportunities in man coverage. His interception on Thursday gives him four through 13 career games, a level of production on the ball the Cowboys have been desperate for at the position for too long.
To think hes only in year 2. If he continues to make the jump we have a shut down corner coming
It’s too bad we didn’t have another corner that was just at least half a good as Diggs when we played the bucs!! Cause Anthony Brown definitely is not!! Brown should be benched for the rest of the season!! I think Nahshon Wright could’ve played better than Brown did in that game and he don’t even have any experience in the NFL!! But as far as Diggs goes, I’m excited to see how much better he can be!! If he’s this good in just the start of year 2, I can only imagine how much better he’ll be by the end of the season and on!!
I like that Trend! Now, if only he can keep that up…
The term “shut down corner” is over-used. Ramsey is about the only one in the league right now. Just call them really good CB’s and let’s use “shut down” for those very elite few who really are. A team’s best CB is not a “shutdown” corner.