Dallas Cowboys v Cleveland Browns
USATSI

FRISCO, Texas -- So much of an athlete's journey involves goal setting and always being focused on the next thing, the next thing to check off their to do list. 

Dallas Cowboys two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs deviated from that mindset and took time to be present and smell the roses prior to his return to NFL action in Week 1 at the Cleveland Browns, a 33-17 Cowboys win. It didn't hit him that he was truly "back" from a torn ACL he suffered in practice in the lead up to Dallas' Week 3 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals until pregame game warmups when he embraced Cowboys assistant head coach/defensive backs Al Harris. That hug on the field at Huntington Bank Field was when the tidal wave of emotion, sacrifice and hard work hit him. 

 "Yeah, 100 percent," Diggs said on Wednesday when asked if that hug was when all the emotions rose to the surface.. "I didn't feel it until i was actually out there. It was like 'wow, I'm actually back.' Yeah, it was emotional for me. ... Just being about to go out there with my teammates and stuff and not miss them, just being able to go out there and compete, it felt good to be back."

Diggs profiles as a quiet introvert on the surface, but three-time All-Pro Micah Parsons indicated there's much more than meets the eye in regards to Diggs. 

"Oh man, I told you he [Diggs] has more to him than y'all think," Parsons said Wednesday when asked about Diggs' emotional pregame hug with Harris. "It's just who he is man. I think that relief to say man ... those who haven't been injured and God willing and thank God I've never had any season ending injury in my career. .... When you can't walk, and you can't really move around by yourself. You constantly need someone to help you and to fight through what he went through that whole year after the start he had and then to hurt himself in practice. I know it's very emotional, and for him to come back four weeks earlier than what people thought he would come back. The guy is a true warrior. So I think he deserved to have all his emotions out there, and I'm glad it paid off because he had a great game too." 

Parsons then pulled back the curtain on exactly how Diggs fought to be on the field for Week 1, four weeks earlier than originally anticipated. 

"Film room, on his own. Puts in the extra. He don't look for credit from others," Parsons said. "He doesn't have to be here to show it. I can be like calling Tre at 7:30 [p.m.] saying 'why aren't on the [video] game?' He's like, 'bro, I'm at Sanders [Fit Rehab and Therapy]. I'm getting extra treatment on my knee.' I'm like, 'oh snap, hit me when you get home.' You know what I'm saying? So he's leaving here, going to get extra work on his knee to make sure he's prepared. So it's the things that no one else has to see. That's kind of like who he is and who he's become. Because I think after his injury, he had a realization: nothing's guaranteed."  

"Yeah, 100 percent," Diggs said when asked if he has to make changes to his routine because of the knee like extra warm-up exercise and more. "You've got to do that regardless. Just taking care of your body before practice, taking care of your body after practice, doing the necessary things to stay healthy. I'm covering all cylinders." 

He also returned to do what he is most known for on the football field against Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson: intercept the football. 

"It felt great. Really good," Diggs said of his interception.   

Head coach Mike McCarthy lauded Diggs' production. He allowed only 23 yards on six completions after being targeted nine times as the primary defender in coverage in addition to the interception. That resulted in Diggs registering a 30.6 defensive passer rating allowed, the third-best in the NFL among players who were targeted at least five times. 

"I'd say production wise, yeah definitely," Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said Wednesday when asked if Diggs is picking back up where he left off. "I mean he's such an impact player and the way he plays the position. Ball skills are extraordinary. But I thought he did a nice job. It's that first year back. We talk about it every time how a player goes through a major injury, particularly a joint injury, especially at the cornerback position. I thought he did a lot of nice things. I thought the play he made was a helluva play."  

Ready to roll

The arrival of Diggs (as a second round pick in 2020) and Parsons (as the 12th overall pick in 2021) signaled a revival for the Cowboys' defense. 

In 2020, McCarthy's first season as head coach with Mike Nolan his defensive coordinator, Dallas allowed 29.6 points per game, the second-most in a season in franchise history. Only the Cowboys' inaugural team in 1960 had a worse scoring defense (30.8 points per game). That was Diggs' rookie year, but when Parsons arrived in 2021 along with defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, Diggs led the NFL with 11 interceptions, and Dallas had a top 10 scoring defense once again (21.1 points per game allowed, seventh in the NFL). Over the span of their partnership, the Cowboys lead or co-lead the NFL in sacks (147),  quarterback pressure rate (41.4%), interceptions (61), takeaways (95) and defensive touchdowns (15). Parsons' 41.5 career sacks since 2021 are the fourth-most in the NFL, and Diggs' 16 interceptions since 2021 are the most in the NFL.

"Yeah 100%. I feel like we talk about that lot," Diggs said. "Just rebuilding what the new standard is for the Dallas Cowboys defense. They drafted some good players. It's on us to take that initiative and just to improve. Every year we just got to get better. We just got to get better. I feel like we're doing that, and we're bringing on more talent. Everyone just see the standard whether that's getting sacks, making tackles, getting interceptions. That's what it is."  

Cowboys defense since 2021



NFL Rank

PPG Allowed

19.8

6th

3rd Down Pct Allowed

35.9%

3rd

Sacks

147

T-1st

QB Pressure Rate

41.4%

1st

TD-INT Allowed

69-61

2nd

Interceptions

61

1st

Takeaways

95

1st

Defensive TD151st

* 2021-2023 under Dan Quinn, Week 1 of 2024 season under Mike Zimmer

Now that the jitters are gone, Diggs feels his second game back, Dallas' home opener against the 1-0 New Orleans Saints, will be much easier for him.

"Yeah, I'm comfortable," Diggs said. "Game Two, I'm going to be 100 percent better. It's about getting better every day, every game and just keep going. It's going to be a good moment. It's still football at the end of the day. I'm excited to be back in Dallas and put on a show for the fans."

However, he is also preparing to be uncomfortable against the Saints. New Orleans' new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak spent the 2023 season as the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers' passing game coordinator under head coach Kyle Shanahan. The Shanahan influence was evident right away in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers, a game the Saints won 47-10. New Orleans lined up under center more than any other offense in the league in Week 1, on 61.3% of their plays to be exact, and they used play-action on over a third of their dropbacks (39%) for the first time since signing Derek Carr in the 2023 offseason, according to NFL Pro Insights. The Saints also utilized two-back formations at an NFL-high rate of 37%, and they sent a player in motion on 74.2% of their snaps, the fifth-highest rate in the league.

"It's a lot different," Diggs said when asked how different the Saints offense is under Kubiak. "He's a very good offensive coordinator. I got to be in the right place because he can trick you and make you see something that you think you want to see and then something's going behind you. They put up a lot of points last week [47], so it's going to be a good challenge for us. Especially with all the shifts and motions."

The Shanahan tree offenses have been the Cowboys' doom in the postseason with losses to Shanahan's 49ers in 2021 and 2022 and to Matt LaFleur's Green Bay Packers in 2023. 

"Yeah, those offenses are annoying," Diggs said. 

A healthy Diggs and the Dallas defense will now compete with Kubiak's offense, which features Pro Bowl quarterback Derek Carr, Pro Bowl running back Alvin Kamara and budding wide receiver Chris Olave will compete on Sunday to see who can annoy who the most. 

Game on.