On Sunday Night Football this week, the (3-3) Minnesota Vikings will host the (5-1) Dallas Cowboys in primetime. The lights shine brighter, even on SNF, when you play “America’s Team”. The media can’t help but talk about them no matter the day of the week.
And with overhyped teams come overhyped players. This season, the Cowboys’ offense appears to be everything it’s cracked up to be. Should Dak Prescott play, Mike Zimmer and his rejuvenated defense will have all they can handle trying to stop one of the best rush/pass combos in football.
But the same thing cannot be said about the Cowboy defense… or their overhyped 2nd-year cornerback, Trevon Diggs.
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer was the Cowboys’ defensive backs coach when Deion Sanders played in Dallas. Zimmer was asked yesterday about people comparing Trevon Diggs to Deion: “I mean, Deion’s in the Hall of Fame, so let’s wait a while, OK?”
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 28, 2021
Dallas ranks 20th in points allowed and 23rd in yards allowed this season That’s not very good. Now their rush defense looks good on paper, ranking 2nd in touchdowns allowed (5) and 9th in yards allowed (517). But that’s what happens when, thanks to your offense, opponents are always coming from behind and can’t afford to run the ball against you.
Hype-Meter Overload
But the most overhyped piece of Dallas’ defense is 2nd-year cornerback, Trevon Diggs, who currently leads the NFL with 7 interceptions in just 6 games. Those INT’s have also led to ridiculous press conference questions like the one you see above, comparing Diggs to the greatest defensive back of all time, Deion Sanders.
A deeper dive into the numbers, however, tells us that Trevon Diggs isn’t worth the hype he’s receiving. While interceptions will make up for a lot of deficiencies, not to mention what they do for your value as a cornerback, they’re not necessarily the best indicator of your coverage skills.
Diggs, for example, owns a Defensive Player of the Month award (September), thanks to his league-leading 7 interceptions, 11 passes defended and 2 non-offensive touchdowns. But he’s also tied for 8th-most targets in the NFL and has given up 19 yards per reception he’s allowed.
PFF isn’t a big fan, either.
Trevon Diggs is as overhyped as the team he plays for.
— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) October 30, 2021
Put AT and JJ in your DFS lineups this weekend. #Vikings pic.twitter.com/c0Ukm9wYdz
Even Trevon’s relatively solid 71.9 coverage grade isn’t what it seems. Diggs has faced quarterbacks Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones and (rookie) Mac Jones in his last three outings.
In those matchups, he failed to post a PFF coverage grade higher than 60. He scored a 41.8 vs the Panthers, 59.0 vs the Giants and a 47.6 against the Patriots. Remember, those coverage grades all include interceptions. What was he doing when he wasn’t picking off the QB and what is Kirk Cousins going to do against Little Diggs if those lesser QB’s picked him apart?
Oh, and did you peep that 29.9 grade against the run? Yikes. It’ll be interesting to see how often Kubiak runs swing passes, screens or outside zones at Diggs, who has struggled with consistent tackling for both of his seasons in the league.
Trevon Diggs may very well end up being the second-greatest cornerback to ever wear a Dallas Cowboys uniform but he isn’t that guy yet. Not even close. Right now, he’s just a young cornerback who likes to make the SportsCenter highlight reel and whose aggressiveness can be taken advantage of.
Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan