Cowboys’ Trevon Diggs Is Among the N.F.L.’s Breakout Stars
The New York Times
Diggs, with his league-leading six interceptions, and emergent talents like Atlanta’s Cordarrelle Patterson and Arizona’s Rondale Moore have surprised opponents.
Cornerbacks typically endure miserable rookie seasons: The receivers they cover are bigger, faster and craftier than the ones they faced in college, while quarterbacks are quick to exploit their every blunder. But Trevon Diggs’s rookie season with the Dallas Cowboys was especially dreadful. The University of Alabama standout and second-round draft pick allowed easy touchdowns, whiffed on multiple tackles and often looked as though he wasn’t certain of his assignments.
One year later, Diggs leads the N.F.L. with six interceptions. He has intercepted at least one pass in every game this season.
Experience is not the only reason for Diggs’s improvement. The entire Cowboys defense played as though it spent the 2020 off-season that was disrupted by Covid-19 with its Zoom cameras turned off, defensive coordinator Mike Nolan muted in one browser window and Minecraft going in the other one. The Cowboys defense still gives up lots of yardage now that Dan Quinn has replaced Nolan and normal practice routines have returned, but at least everyone knows where to line up, and Diggs’s turnovers have helped Dallas start the season 4-1.
