Once again, the Green Pay Packers are taking from the Dallas Cowboys roster to bolster their defense.
The Packers are claiming one-time All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs after he was waived by the Dallas Cowboys, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Wednesday. The move was made official on Wednesday's league transaction wire.
Just prior to the beginning of this season, the Packers acquired defensive lineman Micah Parsons from the Cowboys. Parsons tore his ACL and is out for the season, but the Packers are going to the playoffs and now hope Diggs, can boost defense, which is coming off a 41-24 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday.
Though Parsons underwent surgery this week, he was quick to let his appreciation for the move be known. He and Diggs played four seasons together in Dallas.
"We're back," he posted on social media.
Diggs, 27, was a two-time Pro Bowler and 2021 All-Pro during a campaign in which he had an NFL-high 11 interceptions, with two returned for touchdowns.
For his Pro Bowl prowess, Diggs garnered a five-year, $97 million extension in the summer of 2023, but has been hobbled by injuries since, playing in only 21 games over the last three years. He's played in only eight this year for the Cowboys, with 25 tackles, no interceptions, no passes defensed. He sports at 56.1 overall grade, per Pro Football Focus (80th out of 113 CBs). Thusly, he's a splash signing for the Packers, but his play of late -- when available -- has been far short of his 2021-2022 prime years.
His time in Dallas came to end amid a woeful season in which he was on injured reserve for a concussion that he revealed he sustained at his home after a pole to mount his TV fell and his him in the head.
NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday that Diggs' release came not because of one particular reason, but multiple factors compiling over time.
Diggs had zero guaranteed money due in 2026, so the Cowboys waiving him wasn't all that surprising other than them not waiting until the offseason.
The Cowboys inked Diggs to a five-year, $97 million extension in July 2023, with the corner coming off back-to-back Pro Bowl nods and a 2021 first-team All-Pro selection. Since the payday, injuries have plagued Diggs. He's played in just 21 games over the past three seasons, including just two in 2023 before suffering an ACL injury.
With a $14.5 million base salary in 2026 but zero guaranteed money on the deal, Diggs was likely to be cut in the offseason. Dallas decided not to wait that long to part ways with the 2020 second-round draft pick.
More surprising is that the Packers did not risk Diggs clearing waivers as they will now pay him the remaining $472,000 he's due in base salary this year.
Over the past four games, the Packers' defense -- a hallmark of Green Bay's success with Parsons this year -- has given up an average of 29.5 points per game and have lost their last three. Without Parsons in the last two games, Green Bay has given up 60 points in its last five quarters plus an overtime period against the Chicago Bears.
Will Diggs help stem Green Bay's defensive drop-off? Perhaps we shall see Sunday or in the playoff opener.
