FRISCO, Texas – On Tuesday, the Cowboys waived former All-Pro and Pro Bowl CB Trevon Diggs.
Diggs, 27, will now be subject to waiver. If he clears, he'll become a free agent and can sign with any team seeking cornerback depth ahead of the playoffs.
The release of Diggs marks the end of his six seasons in Dallas, which featured a mixture of ups and downs.
Let's take a look back at the timeline of Diggs' career with the Cowboys:
Cowboys draft Trevon Diggs in 2nd round of 2020 NFL Draft
After winning an All-SEC first-team season at Alabama in 2019, the Cowboys selected Trevon Diggs with the 51st overall pick in the second round of the NFL Draft. At 6'1, 205 with 32 ¾ in. arms, Diggs fit the bill of the taller, long armed corners that Dallas has preferred from a measurables standpoint.
Diggs was the eighth CB drafted in 2020, and joined a room in Dallas that had just lost Byron Jones in free agency to the Miami Dolphins. Now, the room was made of players like Diggs, Jourdan Lewis, Anthony Brown and Chidobe Awuzie.
Diggs' rookie season in 2020
Diggs earned a starting role for the Cowboys right off the bat, tallying three tackles in his first career start and game against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1.
From there, Diggs would go on to continue his strong season until Week 9, where he left Dallas' game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth quarter with a foot injury. It was later discovered that he had a fractured foot, and the Cowboys placed him on injured reserve.
After missing four games, Diggs returned to the lineup and closed out his rookie season strong, finishing as the team leader in pass breakups (14) and interceptions (3) while also tallying 58 total tackles.
A record-breaking sophomore season
In Diggs' sophomore NFL season, he exploded onto the scene and leapt into the upper echelon of cornerback play in the NFL. Diggs started in 16 games for the Cowboys, tallying 52 total tackles and 21 pass breakups.
He also led the NFL in interceptions with 11, the most a player has ever had in a single season since Cowboys CB Everson Walls accomplished the feat in 1981. Diggs added 142 interception return yards and two pick sixes, both of which also led the NFL in their respective categories.
After the 2021 season, Diggs earned first-team All-Pro honors and was named to his first career Pro Bowl.
Another Pro Bowl season in 2022
Diggs followed up his stellar second season with another Pro Bowl campaign in 2022, starting in all 17 games for the Cowboys in their second straight 12-5 season.
Finishing the year with 14 pass breakups, three interceptions and a career-high 59 total tackles, things were continuing to go well as he headed into the final year of his rookie contract.
Diggs signs five-year, $97 million extension
In July of 2023, the Cowboys signed Diggs to a five-year, $97 million extension which included $42.3 million guaranteed.
It was a huge pay day for the young corner, who in just 45 career games had already tallied 17 career interceptions and 49 pass breakups, helping the Cowboys be among the best in the NFL in takeaways over his first three seasons, including first in the league in 2021.
Things were looking up for Diggs and the Cowboys heading into the 2023 season on the heels of back-to-back 12-5 finishes.
Tragedy strikes in practice
Less than three months after signing his extension with the Cowboys, Diggs tore the ACL in his left knee during practice after two weeks of the regular season, ending his season early.
Diggs was having a promising start to his fourth year in the NFL, with three pass breakups and an interception already to his name in just two games.
Now, a long recovery process laid ahead of him to get back on the field for the Cowboys in 2024.
Diggs' return in 2024, injury struggles still linger
At the start of training camp in 2024, Diggs started the year on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list as he continued his recovery from the torn ACL the year prior. Then later on at camp, the Cowboys lost their other All-Pro CB DaRon Bland to a stress fracture in his foot, sidelining him for the first 10 games of the season.
Diggs would go on to start the first 10 games of the season for the Cowboys, recording two interceptions and eight pass breakups for Dallas' defense that had its fair share of struggles.
Then, Diggs suffered a groin injury after Dallas' 34-10 loss against the Texans and returned to the lineup just once more against the Bengals in Week 14 before news came out that Diggs needed surgery to repair a knee injury in the same knee as his ACL tear the year prior. Diggs would miss the remaining four games of the season.
A rocky start to training camp
Over the offseason, Diggs elected to do a majority of his knee recovery work outside of the Cowboys' facilities, and instead in South Florida. In his latest contract, Diggs had a clause that stated he needed to participate in 84.375 percent of the offseason program at the Cowboys' facility.
Ultimately, Diggs did not reach that threshold, and the Cowboys decided to enact the de-escalator in his contract that docked $500,000 off his 2025 salary.
"We expect a player paid like Trevon to be here all the time," Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones said in the team's opening press conference. "We expect him to be leading, expect him to be leading, but that's not new."
The next day, Diggs and fellow Cowboys teammate at the time Micah Parsons held a joint press conference with reporters. Both had each other's backs for their respective situations.
"At the end of the day, this is his business, his body, it's his body equity," Parsons said of Diggs' decision to recover outside of Dallas' facilities. "He's gotta feel like he got to do what's best for his body. Like always, at the end of the day, if he's not available, what are they going to do? Get rid of him. So he's got to keep his body up to par."
Micah Parsons is traded to the Green Bay Packers
Diggs and Parsons were very close friends on and off the field during their time together with the Cowboys. When Dallas traded Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for Kenny Clark and two first-round draft picks, Diggs was surprised.
"I think everybody was surprised," Diggs said. "I was really surprised, I really thought it was going to get done so we could just stay a family. Just him being here all his years, but unfortunately that's not what God had for him."
From Diggs' perspective, the decision that the Cowboys made to ultimately move on from his friend in Parsons seemed to be a mixture of business, and personal differences.
"It's definitely a business, but people always say never make it personal," Diggs said. "But when you go out there and lay your life on the line, you're practicing hard, you're in the game, you're risking your body. It becomes personal because you care about it, you care about the game so much you want to win. It is a business at the end of the day, but it is also personal."
Diggs suffers concussion, more knee issues midseason
After Diggs cleared his physical in late August and going through practices, he returned to the field for the Cowboys and started in four of Dallas' first six games of the 2025 season, starting the year on a pitch count to get his legs back under him.
After playing in those first six games, head coach Brian Schottenheimer announced that Diggs had suffered a concussion in an at-home accident just days before the Cowboys were set to play the Commanders in Week 7. Diggs later revealed that his concussion came from a TV mounting pole that fell on him as he tried to install it in his home.
A week later, Diggs was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury added to his injury status. He would go on to later say that there was some fluid that had built up in his knee that needed to be taken care of, which is why the team decided it would be best to sit him down and allow him to recover further.
Uncertainty continues to build about Diggs' future
As the weeks went on and Diggs got closer and closer to return, the 21-day practice window opened for Diggs to make his return to the field in 2025. A week before Diggs' window was getting ready to close, Diggs was under the impression he would play on Sunday Night Football in Week 15 against the Giants, but was kept on the designated for return list.
"Going into the week, that was the plan, was for me to play. I was included in the game plan to play." Diggs said. "Yesterday, I was told I wasn't playing, so that's why I thought that I was playing. It was a quick decision, I didn't know. I thought I was going to come out here and play, but they felt otherwise. That's just what it was."
That came after Brian Schottenheimer and Jerry Jones both said they needed to see more from Diggs in all areas both on and off the field when each were asked about Diggs' return to the lineup. After finding out he wouldn't play against Minnesota, Diggs told reporters he was "upset" with the decision and voiced his frustrations with the team.
"Definitely disappointed, because I definitely thought I was coming out, going to play, being able to help these guys try to pull out a win," Diggs said. "I think how it was handled, I didn't like that, because I thought that I was playing. It is what it is, try to focus on next week, see if I can show them whatever they want to see. I'm going to show them and go from there."
When asked about his future in Dallas, Diggs said he wanted to remain with the Cowboys, but didn't know what the future held.
"I love Dallas. Dallas is a great place," Diggs said. "I've built great relationships with these guys, they're like my brothers, so of course I want to be here. But at the end of the day, it's a business. I don't know what the future holds, it's in God's hands. I'm just doing what I can do, showing up where I can show up, and go from there."
Cowboys waive Diggs on December 30
The uncertainty came to a close on Tuesday, with the Cowboys making the decision to waive Diggs ahead of their season finale against the New York Giants.
Should he clear waivers, Diggs will become a free agent and can sign wherever he'd like ahead of the playoffs beginning on January 10.
