Seahawks S Quandre Diggs 'Rolling with the Punches,' Drops Into Quarantine Comfort Zone
SEATTLE, WA - Now entering his sixth NFL season, Quandre Diggs has mastered the art of succeeding amid unideal circumstances.
Once an unheralded, undersized 5-foot-9, 197-pound sixth-round pick for the Lions in 2015, Diggs was "thrown to the wolves" moving to free safety after playing slot cornerback for the Longhorns. He eventually emerged as a Pro Bowl alternate in Detroit, recording 78 tackles and three interceptions in 2018.
Then last season, the popular Diggs was unexpectedly dealt by the Lions to the Seahawks at the trade deadline in exchange for a fifth-round pick. Uprooting his family midway through a season while nursing a hamstring injury, he found a way to hit the ground running, producing three interceptions in just five games for his new team and making an immediate impact.
Looking back at transition to Seattle, Diggs told reporters in a Zoom press conference that constant injuries were the toughest challenge as he tried to adjust to new surroundings. He wound up missing five games with a hamstring pull and a high ankle sprain, including the final two games of the regular season.
"Hopefully that was just a one year deal," Diggs reflected. "I think I'm getting acclimated very well. The coaches have a lot of trust in me, I have a lot of trust in them. My teammates respect me and I respect those guys."
While he understands the severity of the current coronavirus pandemic and realizes it is "bigger than football," nobody should be surprised Diggs is handling unprecedented times in stride. In fact, in many ways, being quarantined has kept him in his element.
Admitting he prefers the solitude of being home with his family in Austin, Texas, Diggs wakes up at 7 AM to tend to his daughter and nephews before working with his trainer a few hours later. After he's concluded the morning workout session, he attends Seattle's virtual offseason meetings with positional coaches and once he's wrapped those up by 2 PM, he continues to rack up the miles on his Pelaton.
When he isn't sharpening his craft on the bike, reviewing the playbook on his iPad, or spending valuable father/daughter time, Diggs thoroughly enjoys the opportunity to roast his teammates on social media, including receiver DK Metcalf.
"This is me. The quarantine has been kinda perfect for me. This is my life, you know?" Diggs said. "I stay at home, chill with my family, play video games, hang out, crack jokes on Twitter and Instagram."
Peering towards the 2020 season, Diggs hopes to be back on the field and rejoining his Seahawks teammates as soon as possible. But he's also being extra cautious with a 10-month old daughter to take care of and an 87-year old grandmother to keep safe and wants to ensure the league starts back up at the right time.
Like the rest of the players in the league, Diggs is just "rolling with the punches," letting the experts determine when it's the right time to resume playing. When that time comes, he expects to be ready and build off his strong finish with Seattle. As for training camp, he isn't sweating it about the potential for it to be abbreviated, though he acknowledged such a scenario will be tough on rookies entering the league and players changing teams.
"It would be cool if we had training camp. If we don't, I wouldn't say it's a big, big deal. I think guys will... we have a few new players, but I feel like we all got the grasp of the offense and defense and special teams. I think we can hit the ground running."
Until Roger Goodell and the league call an audible, Diggs will continue to embrace his comfort zone from home, cherishing his extra time with his daughter and the rest of his family. And you can guarantee plenty of Pelaton competitions and daily Twitter beefs with him serving as the instigator.
