One of the biggest questions entering the 2022 season for the Dallas Cowboys was whether cornerback Trevon Diggs’ breakout second year was for real. Through four games, he has.
Diggs was one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL in 2021, catching league-high 11 interceptions thanks to his ultra-aggressive ball-hawking ability. The takeaways were most likely going to regress in 2022, as they’re somewhat based on luck. But Diggs still has two picks through four games, tied for the third-most in the NFL.
Many stats suggest Diggs is actually having a better season right now, even if he isn’t picking the ball off as much. Last season, Pro Football Focus gave Diggs a 59.6 overall grade, which is fairly mediocre considering the stats he put up. Through four games this year, Diggs has earned a more impressive 70.5 grade from PFF.
There are other stats to suggest that Diggs is building off of his breakout year. Diggs has a league-high nine pass breakups on 25 targets. Opposing quarterbacks have a 54.9 quarterback rating when targeting Diggs, which is currently a career low. He’s also allowing career lows in average yards per completion and yards per target, suggesting he’s done a good job in keeping receivers in front of him.
Yet, QBs are still targeting Diggs
Despite all of these impressive stats, opponents aren’t exactly giving Diggs the shutdown cornerback treatment. Diggs’ 25 targets thrown at him are tied for the 11th-most in the NFL, suggesting that teams aren’t afraid to go after him.
The reason why could be Diggs’ risk-taking style. And while that style resulted in tons of interceptions, it also led to Diggs allowing the most yards in the NFL while committing the most penalties. But this year, Diggs has yet to commit a penalty while still finding ways to take the ball away.
Diggs has also performed well when matched up against some of the league’s best receivers. While he was in coverage on Mike Evans’ ridiculous Week 1 touchdown catch, he’s held both Evans and Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase to just 10 catches for 125 yards and a score.
Diggs continues to get better for a Cowboys defense that has been stout through the first month of the season. While his style of play may prevent him from joining the game’s true elites, Diggs is still one of the 20 best cover corners in football.
