Trevon Diggs waived by Cowboys: Best landing spots for Pro Bowl CB

Trevon Diggs‘ tenure in Dallas has come to an end. In the shadow of the Cowboys gearing up for their regular-season finale against the New York Giants, the club waived the two-time Pro Bowl corner on Tuesday, according to CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones. 

Diggs is now subject to waivers, and if he goes unclaimed, he will become a free agent. Given that Diggs still has term left on his five-year, $97 million extension that he signed in 2023, the assumption is that he will clear waivers, thus entering free agency. If a team were to claim him, it would be responsible for his remaining $472,222 game check this season, per NFL Media, and inherit his contract, which is one of the indicators that he will go unclaimed. 

Diggs had no guaranteed money remaining on his contract after this season, which made him a potential cut candidate this coming offseason for the Cowboys, but Dallas appears to be getting ahead of that here with his release. 

This brings to an end a rather turbulent season for Diggs and the Cowboys. The 27-year-old played the first six games of the regular season before landing on injured reserve due to a concussion he suffered at home. Diggs had also been nursing a knee injury.

After an array of questions surrounding his pending return, Diggs was activated and reinserted into Dallas’ defense in Week 16 and played the past two games. During the Cowboys’ Christmas Day win over the Commanders, Diggs played 100% of the defensive snaps. 

The Cowboys drafted Diggs in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Alabama, and he quickly turned into one of the brightest young corners in the league. He was a first-team All-Pro in 2021 after leading the league in interceptions, and followed that up with another Pro Bowl campaign in 2022, which led to his extension. However, Diggs suffered a torn ACL during the 2023 season and has yet to return to his star form. 

With his days in Dallas numbered, what’s next for Diggs, provided that he does, in fact, clear waivers? Here are a handful of potential landing spots: 

Washington Commanders

There’s an obvious connection between Diggs and the Commanders with Dan Quinn. Washington’s head coach was the defensive coordinator in Dallas during Diggs’ rise to stardom from 2021 to 2023 before leaving for greener pastures in 2024.

Not only does that present Diggs with a destination he’s familiar with from a system perspective, but he’d also be in one where he’s thrived in the past.

From the Commanders’ perspective, this makes a lot of sense, particularly after a season in which they’ve surrendered a 106.8 passer rating to opposing quarterbacks, which ranks third-worst in the NFL entering Week 18. Diggs could go a long way in helping turn that unit around in 2026, especially if he and Quinn rekindle their magic from earlier in his career.

Similar to the Commanders, Diggs would have a familiar face in Chicago in the form of Al Harris, who is currently serving as the defensive backs coach and defensive pass game coordinator for the Bears. Harris was the defensive backs coach in Dallas up until this season, when he left to join Ben Johnson’s staff, so he’s seen Diggs’ ceiling up close.

Unlike the Commanders, Chicago presents an opportunity for Diggs to continue playing this season, and after the Bears just let Brock Purdy throw for 303 yards and three touchdowns in last Sunday’s loss, they could stand to add some help to the secondary as they attempt a playoff run. 

If we want to talk about teams with ties to Diggs, there arguably is none stronger than the Patriots, who currently have his brother, wideout Stefon Diggs, on the roster as a focal point of their offense. It’s worth pointing out, however, that Diggs has bigger things to worry about at the moment than possibly getting his brother a gig in Foxborough.

That said, the Patriots have Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis as their top two corners at the moment, but are still lacking a bit of depth in that area of their defense, so there’s a roster-based need for Diggs on top of the simple family connection.

Sneakily, New England is giving up a 94.0 passer rating to opposing quarterbacks this season, which is just outside the top 10 highest in the league entering the final week.

The Niners moved to 12-4 on the season and are in range of claiming the NFC West and the No. 1 seed in the conference after outlasting the Bears on Sunday. As thrilling as the game was, let’s not ignore that San Francisco let Caleb Williams torch them for 330 yards and two touchdowns en route to 38 points scored.

The 49ers’ offense is Super Bowl-caliber, but the one thing that could hold the franchise back is the defense after it’s been demolished by injuries this season. Coming into Week 18, the secondary is allowing opposing quarterbacks to produce a 100.6 passer rating against it, which ranks seventh-highest in the NFL.

Adding a player like Diggs could be a savvy roll of the dice this late in the year to further help their chances of making a significant run.

How about a little Dallas reunion at Lambeau Field? The close relationship between Diggs and the Cowboy-turned-Packer Micah Parsons is well documented, so maybe he helps create a lane for him to get to Green Bay. 

Moreover, the Packers could seriously use some help at cornerback, with both Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine struggling at times. Green Bay’s 92.8 passer rating allowed is smack in the middle of the league, so there’s certainly room for improvement with a talent like Diggs.