Quandre Diggs ‘Blindsided’ by Trade, Blessed to Join Seahawks
In the middle of his fifth NFL season and enjoying a Tuesday off with his family, Quandre Diggs didn't expect to be traded.
Less than 14 months ago, the 26-year old Diggs signed a three-year extension to stay with the Lions, who originally selected him out of Texas in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. After being named a Pro Bowl alternate in 2018, he was named one of Detroit’s team captains this season, the ultimate sign of respect from teammates.
But while catching up on some much-needed sleep with his daughter on Tuesday, Diggs’s phone started blowing up. He eventually answered a call from his agent David Mulugheta, who informed him he’d been dealt to the Seahawks in exchange for a 2020 fifth round pick.
Admitting he didn’t believe the news at first, Diggs told reporters, “I was blindsided by it, honestly.”
Reality soon hit and Diggs promptly called Lions general manager Bob Quinn and coach Matt Patricia to bid farewell. He quickly packed his bags, leaving his girlfriend and three-month old daughter behind to begin the next chapter of his football career in Seattle.
“It was surprising. Super excited. Blessed for the opportunity and at the end of the day, God has a plan for me and this is his plan.”
While Diggs can’t wait to contribute for the Seahawks, his departure from Detroit is a bittersweet one. Once viewed as too slow to play cornerback and too small to play safety in the NFL, he “worked his tail off” to prove he belonged in the league and eventually become a team captain for the Lions.
Based on tweets from former teammates such as Darius Slay after news of the trade broke yesterday, he’s going to be missed badly on the field and in the locker room.
“Those are my guys for life man, all those guys in the locker room. All the tough days we had during camp, the tough days we had during this season, those things will never be forgotten and I’m gonna miss those guys.”
On the flip side, coach Pete Carroll and the Seahawks feel lucky to have a “unique,” experienced starter joining their team and can’t wait to see where he fits. Playing multiple positions, the former Texas standout has produced 152 tackles, six interceptions, and 17 passes defensed since 2017.
“He’s an explosive player.” Carroll said. “I’ve watched him for years be the kind of guy who throws his body around as well as you can do it. He’s a real hitter and a play maker.”
Now in Seattle, Carroll expects Diggs will play right away at both safety spots, also leaving the door open for him to be used as a nickel cornerback in certain situations. Diggs doesn’t have a preference where he plays and simply wants to do whatever he can to help his new team.
“I’m just here to learn the system, learn how things go around here, buy into the system.” Diggs stated. “You know, just be the best player I can be wherever they put me and let the chips fall where they may.”
Seattle knew it needed to make a move in the secondary in large part due to injuries. Veteran Bradley McDougald could return soon from back spasms, but Lano Hill will likely miss several weeks with an elbow issue, leaving the team depleted from a depth standpoint.
While Carroll downplayed Tedric Thompson’s recent struggles as an additional reason to acquire Diggs, he told reporters on Monday that he wasn’t happy with “distasteful” coverage by the third-year safety in last Sunday’s loss and his performance certainly factored into the decision.
Changing teams during the middle of the season presents unique challenges, but Diggs already has several friends on the Seahawks, including receiver Tyler Locket, who he called immediately after learning of the trade. Carroll anticipates those relationships will ease his transition and his playing style will endear him to new teammates just as it did in Detroit.
“By the nature of his play, this is the kind of player everybody respects because he plays so hard and he hits so hard and he goes for it. What I can tell is that he’d win any team over just because of his play style. I’m thrilled to add him because he is a runner and a hitter. I’m sure our guys will see that in him too.”
Aiming to make a strong first impression for the Seahawks, Diggs could be in the starting lineup alongside rookie Marquise Blair or McDougald as early as this Sunday when the team travels to Atlanta to face the Falcons.
