With Dak Prescott playing as well as any quarterback in football, the Dallas Cowboys only need their defense to be average to get into the playoffs. The only problem with that is the defense has been all-time bad over the first month, and there's little to suggest improvements will be made.
Trevon Diggs thinks a potential solution would be to play more man coverage. It's well-documented at this point that Matt Eberflus uses zone at the highest rate of any defensive play-caller. Diggs made it clear that he'd prefer to man up and that doing so would benefit the entire defense.
"I wouldn’t say it’s more complex, but when you’re playing man, you’re right there with the person. … As the weeks have been coming, (playing zone) has been way easier, way easier. I feel like we’re on our way to getting the ball and being on our way to making plays," Diggs said.
Trevon Diggs wants Cowboys DC Matt Eberflus to draw up more man coverage
Diggs clarified that he did not intend to throw Eberflus under the bus, but it's pretty clear that he doesn't think running more zone is going to work.
“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."
Unlike previous defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who would tweak his system based on the opponent, Eberflus is extremely stubborn about his scheme.
The big issue is that zone coverage requires a lot of communication and for everyone to be on the same page. Even the slightest hesitation or disconnect can lead to a breakdown. Cowboys fans have seen that play out numerous times in the first four games.
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There's an argument to be made that Dallas doesn't have the horses to play man. Diggs himself had a rough couple of snaps against Malik Nabers in Week 2. Meanwhile, Kaiir Elam has given up a reception of at least 20 yards in every game, and DaRon Bland looked rusty in Week 4 coming back from injury.
However, the defense, specifically the secondary, has had a difficult time acclimating to Eberflus' scheme. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting new results. That's where we're at.
Diggs has made his bones in the NFL as a man corner, but a change would take Eberflus admitting he was wrong. That's about as likely as Jerry Jones operating like a normal general manager in free agency.
Whatever happens, there is a clear disconnect between Diggs and the Cowboys' DC. That is a storyline worth paying close attention to as the weeks go on.