The Dallas Cowboys‘ defensive focus in the offseason has been all-over, with the team bringing in reinforcements at all three levels through free agency and the draft.
And each position group could do with improvement; the defensive line still has not produced an elite edge rusher opposite Micah Parsons, and there are still questions as to what the long term future is at inside linebacker, with DeMarvion Overshown out for the majority of this season and both Kenneth Murray and Jack Sanborn on short, one-year deals.
But cornerback remains the area with perhaps the most question marks, with only nickel, DaRon Bland confirmed to start week one. Kair Elam, who Dallas traded for this Spring, is currently listed as the starter at outside corner, but his role is by no means confirmed.
And Trevon Diggs, if healthy, will take the CB1 spot, but he is dealing with an ongoing ACL tear that could keep him out longer than his desired return date of Week 1 in September.
Trevon Diggs May Not Be Around In Dallas For Much Longer?
Indeed, Diggs may not be around in Dallas at all for much longer, given his considerable injury history, according to The Athletic’s Saad Yousuf, who believes that this will almost certainly be the 2 x Pro Bowler’s final season with the Cowboys.
“Unless there’s a huge bounce back from Diggs in 2025, it’s easy to see why the injuries and regression over the past two years would lead the Cowboys to want to get out of that contract.” Yousuf wrote in his column for The Athletic on Thursday,” Diggs is a boom-or-bust type of player to begin with, but since his monster year in 2021, there’s been a lot more bust than boom. Couple that with Bland being in the final year of his rookie deal and will be due a sizable extension, it’s hard to imagine a realistic scenario in which this isn’t Diggs’ final year in Dallas.”
“Hard to imagine a realistic scenario” in which Diggs stays with the Cowboys certainly feels like pretty damning odds for the corner who signed a 5 year, $97 million deal back in July 2023.
What Would Be The Financial Ramifications Of Cutting Diggs In Early 2026?
“According to Spotrac, the Cowboys could cut Diggs early next offseason and carry a dead cap hit of just under $6 million in 2026, saving more than $12.5 million,” Yousuf noted, “or designate him a post-June 1 release and save $15.5 million and spread the dead cap over 2026 and 2027 at just under $3 million each year.”
A dead cap of just $6 million over two years would certainly be an appealingly low number to get out from under a contract that has a an average yearly cap hit of over $20 million for the next three seasons after 2025.
Diggs has, for the most part of his career, been good when on the field. But injuries have started to impact both his availability – he has suited up for just 13 games over the past two years – and his overall performance when playing.
An excellent, bounce-back year in 2025 could no doubt salvage his future with the Cowboys, but anything less than a fully-healthy, Pro Bowl caliber season could likely see him on the chopping block come March 2026.
