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NFL World Reacts to Cowboys Releasing Former All-Pro CB Trevon Diggs

Diggs was a Pro Bowler in 2021 and 2022, but injuries have derailed what was a promising career.

Ryan Phillips

The Dallas Cowboys released former All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs on Tuesday.
The Dallas Cowboys released former All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs on Tuesday. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
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The Cowboys released former All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs on Tuesday. The 27-year-old’s play had fallen off over the past three seasons, with injuries playing a big part in that decline. Moving on from Diggs was expected, but the timing is surprising.

Dallas selected Diggs out of Alabama with the 51st pick in the 2020 NFL draft. He led the NFL with 11 interceptions in 2021 and earned first-team All-Pro honors. He was also a Pro Bowler in 2022, which led the Cowboys to hand him a five-year, $97 million contract extension in July 2023. Now he’s no longer on the team.

Despite an incredible start to his career, Diggs had become almost unplayable this season. That said, most people expected the Cowboys to cut him loose this offseason, not during the last week of the 2025 campaign.

Diggs was released the same day his brother, Stefon, was facing charges of strangulation and assault.

Fans and experts reacted to the move on social media:

Trevon Diggs career stats and injury history

Diggs was one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks in 2021 and ’22, but has struggled to stay on the field due to numerous injuries since. They have completely derailed what was a promising start to his NFL career.

In his first three seasons, Diggs played in 45 games and racked up 169 tackles and 17 interceptions, with two returned for touchdowns. He broke up 49 passes during that time as well. Then disaster struck.

Shortly after inking a massive contract extension that included $42.3 million in guaranteed money, Diggs tore the ACL in his left knee on September 21, 2023. He missed the rest of the season. He returned in 2024 and only played in 11 games, missing the final four after undergoing another surgery on his left knee. When he was on the field that season, Diggs wasn’t the same player. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 56.6, which ranked 90th out of 117 qualifying cornerbacks.

Diggs was only on the field for seven games during the 2025 season after suffering a concussion. He was placed on injured reserve on October 25 and was not activated until December 20. Just 10 days later, he was released by the team.

During the 2025 campaign, Diggs received an overall grade of 56.1 from PFF, which ranks 79th out of the 113 cornerbacks who qualify.

Despite only being 27 years old, Diggs has been in a steep decline for several years. We’ll see if another team takes a chance on him.

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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.

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