Cowboys corner Trevon Diggs is playing the best football of his career

The expectations were huge coming out of Alabama for cornerback Trevon Diggs as a second-round pick. He didn't have a smooth start as he gave up some big plays early to guys like D.K. Metcalf of the Seattle Seahawks, although he made up for it with his hustle to close out the play by forcing a touchback. However, Diggs snagged three interceptions in his final five games as a rookie in 2020, setting the tone for his ascension.

It's no secret that Diggs lit the NFL on fire a season later with an interception in the first six games (seven total) and finished with 11, the most in the NFL since 1981 (Everson Walls). Last season, his interceptions went down to three, but ask Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings how good Diggs was as he had both of them in Alcatraz.

Diggs has taken it up another level these days.

One knock on Diggs coming into this season was that he didn't like to tackle or make a lot of contact. In Week 1 against the New York Giants, Diggs laid a crushing blow on running back Saquon Barkley, which led to an interception by Daron Bland that he took back for a touchdown in the first quarter. With Dallas up 40-0 in the fourth quarter, Diggs forced a fumble by Isaiah Hodgins, which speaks to his level of focus with a lead that big.

In Week 2 versus the New York Jets, Diggs was back to his old tricks in coverage. He faced five targets, didn't allow a single reception, and had two pass breakups with an interception. For the season so far, Diggs has given up only two receptions for 26 yards on eight targets with a passer rating of 1.0 in two games, per Pro Football Focus. Yes, that's right, 1.0 is not a typo.

Diggs has only been playing the cornerback position full-time since 2017 when he switched from wide receiver during his Alabama days. That background has helped him immensely when it comes to knowing the tendencies of receivers, and he's used his natural ball-hawking skills to be the most opportunistic player at his position when it comes to taking the ball away.

The last thing opposing offenses wanted to see is Diggs becoming a well-rounded cornerback. Well, their worst nightmare has come true as two of the three turnovers Diggs is directly responsible for in 2023 weren't the result of interceptions. So, Diggs can affect the game in multiple ways now, which has made him the best version of himself that we've seen thus far.