Trevon’s Tears: Cowboys’ Diggs Aims For ‘Best Ever’ Amid Snubs
While there may be slight differences in countdowns of the top quarterbacks, running backs and receivers in the NFL, there are some generally agreed upon statistics that keep there from being too many drastic differences on preseason lists.
Said numbers don't exist when evaluating cornerbacks, which is one of the reasons Trevon Diggs of the Dallas Cowboys has seen such a wide variance in his rankings ahead of this season.
What does he think of where he can go?
"My main goal is to stay consistent, to stay building on my career, to build a great resume so that I'll go down as one of the best DBs to play the game,” Diggs said this week at training camp in Oxnard.
But … The latest countdown of the top 10 cornerbacks for this upcoming season was done by Brian Baldinger of NFL Media, and didn't include Diggs at all. Diggs is a polarizing player among evaluators, but he has 17 interceptions in three seasons and the Cowboys rewarded him with a new five-year, $97 million extension earlier this week, so there are definitely some that would vehemently disagree with Baldinger.
Including the Cowboys, of course, who had their star player in tears when he learned of his contract details while on the team flight to California.
Pro Football Focus had Diggs ranked as the No. 8 cornerback entering this season. CBS Sports also had Diggs at No. 8. Executives, coaches and scouts ranked Diggs eighth for ESPN. Pro Football Network ranked Diggs as the seventh-best cornerback. Again, rating cornerbacks is more subjective than some other positions, but to have Slay altogether out of the top 10 feels like a pretty controversial opinion based on where other sites have ranked him.
If there's a silver lining for the Cowboys it's that Stephon Gilmore did appear on Baldinger's list, checking in at No. 9. The former Defensive Player of the Year was acquired by the Cowboys in an offseason trade with the Indianapolis Colts. With that said, Gilmore is 32 years old and only under contract through the 2023 season, so it's unclear how long they'll be able to rely upon the five-time Pro Bowler.
Additionally, Diggs wasn't the only star NFC East cornerback that Baldinger -- who played for the Cowboys from 1982-1987 -- omitted from his list. Both Darius Slay and James Bradberry of the Philadelphia Eagles were left off the list as well.
After he was a First-Team All-Pro for the New York Jets in his rookie season, Sauce Gardner took home the top spot on Baldinger's list, followed by Patrick Surtain II of the Denver Broncos.
How does Diggs combat the snubs? We say he doesn’t bother.
You can follow Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
COWBOYS FISH REPORT … now a podcast! Join us inside The Star, ANY TIME!
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Dallas Cowboys?
Follow FishSports on Twitter
Follow Cowboys / Fish on Facebook
Subscribe to the Cowboys Fish Report on YouTube for constant daily Cowboys live reports!
