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GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – NOVEMBER 13: Trevon Diggs #7 of the Dallas Cowboys participates in warmups prior to a game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on November 13, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers defeated the Cowboys 31-28 in overtime. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Coming into the 2025 season, there was a strong sense that one of the strengths of the Cowboys would be their defensive backs. They had one of the best corners in the game under contract, DaRon Bland, as well as a great corner who was ready to bounce back after offseason surgery, Trevon Diggs. The two formed one of the highest paid duos in any NFL defensive backfield, with $190 million in potential salary between them.
But this was a best-laid-plans disaster, in the end. Bland was dealing with a foot injury throughout the season and tried to play through it, but was never 100%. After playing seven games last year, he was in only 12 games this season and struggled when he was on the field. Bland allowed a quarterback rating of 60.8 at his peak in 2023, but that number was 103.3 in 2025.
And Diggs, somehow, was even worse. He did not thrive in the system of coordinator Matt Eberflus, and was not healthy, in addition–he was dealing with a left knee injury last year, but a right knee injury this year. A two-time Pro Bowler, the Cowboys were so fed up with Diggs (who allowed a 157.2 passer rating) that they released him after Week 16.
Cowboys Relationship With Trevon Diggs Fell Apart
The Packers picked up Diggs after his release from the Cowboys, but Green bay was unimpressed with the former star as Dallas, and released him after the playoffs. That means it’s not even certain whether Diggs will suit up in the NFL again.
It would be a sad end for a guy who holds the Dallas single-season interception record with 11. But the guy with whom Diggs is tied for that interception record–Everson Walls, who set it as a rookie in 1981–said that there’s no one to blame for the downfall of Diggs but Diggs himself.
In an appearance on 103.5 The Fan in Dallas (h/t the Dallas Moring News), Walls said, “There are some relationships that you think can handle more than you thought. There are some relationships that are up and down. I’m sure Trevon thought that this was going to work out, but you’ve got to do your part. There are rumors that he wasn’t doing that, and I’m not talking about on the field, necessarily. I’m talking about buying into the culture of the team.”
GettyEverson Walls #24 of the Dallas Cowboys
ACL Injury Started the Decline
Walls said the Cowboys’ problems with Diggs started even before this year, going back to the ACL tear he suffered in 2023. Diggs came back and played 11 games the following year but has not really been the same, and was playing through injury even in 2024.
It’s hard to see how Diggs can reset his career. But he needs a reset, no doubt.
“I don’t think he ever bought into it after his injury,” Walls said. “It’s easy to do that when you’re balling with 11 picks. I went back and looked at some of his highlights, just amazing some of the plays that he made, not just the interceptions. But it’s where you are when things go south. And he wasn’t in a good place when he did that.”
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
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