All Trevon Diggs wanted this season was for Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus to incorporate more man-to-man coverage into his scheme. Diggs made that clear earlier this season on several occasions as the unit became the league's most porous.
At first, he was patient about it, conceding his opinion doesn't override anyone else's.
"At the end of the day, it’s not about what I want. It’s not about the other people. It’s about what the whole defense wants, what coach wants, what coach thinks is best for us to win. And if he feels like this gives us our best chance to win, we gotta play it and just play it to the best of our ability. It’s not to point fingers at nobody. It ain’t nobody’s fault. We just gotta execute," Diggs said, via Jon Machota of The Athletic.
Then, his tone changed after giving up 22 points to the New York Jets in a win, 30 points to the Carolina Panthers in a loss, 22 points to the Washington Commanders in a win, 44 points to the Denver Broncos in a loss, and, finally, 27 points to the Arizona Cardinals with Jacoby Brissett under center in a loss.
"Yeah, it's very frustrating. It's all these points (given up), the receivers are running wide open down the field, too many busted coverages. It's a lot. I feel like we’re all over the place and we really don’t have no identity," Diggs said, per Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News.
Now, Diggs has what he wanted. But is it too late?
Trevon Diggs Doesn't Have Return Date Yet as Cowboys Keep Losing
Diggs still doesn't have a return date yet. "Later this season" is the timetable that has been given. Needless to say, it's unclear what Diggs' future holds. If Dallas is still way behind in the standings by his target date, it might not be worth risking their investment.
The Cowboys' defense still looks hopeless. While the blockbuster trade deadline additions of linebacker Logan Wilson from the Cincinnati Bengals and Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets give the team optimism, the problems in Dallas were never going to be fixed overnight. At 3-5-1, the margin for error is thin with this group.
The Cowboys have a bye week, then take on the Las Vegas Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles in what feel like regime-defining games. Win, and Jerry Jones might be on to something. Lose, and Diggs might be better off waiting until Eberflus is gone before returning. Assuming that'd happen immediately after a campaign where they don't make the playoffs.