It wasn't long ago that the Dallas Cowboys boasted one of the NFL's most feared cornerback duos in Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland. Fast forward to 2026, and only Bland remains, and his future is suddenly murky after a second surgery on his left foot in as many years.
While injuries played a big role in Diggs' downfall, his poor attitude and behavior left Brian Schottenheimer and the front office with no other choice but to release him.
During a recent appearance on 105.3 The Fan, Cowboys legendary cornerback Everson Walls, a three-time All-Pro in nine seasons with Dallas who is second in franchise history with 44 interceptions, said the quiet part out loud about why Diggs was handed his walking papers.
“There are some relationships that you think can handle more than you thought," Walls said. "There are some relationships that are up and down. I’m sure Trevon thought that this was going to work out, but you’ve got to do your part. There are rumors that he wasn’t doing that, and I’m not talking about on the field, necessarily. I’m talking about buying into the culture of the team.”
Dallas Cowboys legend Everson Walls' explanation of Trevon Diggs release makes perfect sense
Walls hit the nail square on the head.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a Cowboys player who hasn't raved about Schottenheimer’s culture. His energy is infectious, and he builds strong relationships, but he also holds players accountable. It speaks volumes that Diggs struggled to buy in.
Schottenheimer said bluntly during the season that Diggs wasn't giving the desired effort in team meetings and practices. That explains why Diggs remained on injured reserve late in the year despite returning to practice.
He was activated for Week 16, but less than two weeks later, he was off the team after disobeying Schottenheimer’s request to fly back to Dallas following the Christmas Day game in Washington.
READ MORE: Packers just learned the hard way what Cowboys fans warned about Trevon Diggs
Diggs asked to stay behind to see family (he wasn't the only one), but Schottenheimer made it clear: “We fly in as a team and fly back as a team.” That's how most NFL teams operate, and it's precisely the culture that Diggs could not get on board with.
The Cowboys' front office -- Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones that is -- isn't blameless. They strained the relationship by calling out Diggs' leadership and the ferocity with which he attacked his ACL rehab.
Trading away his best friend, Micah Parsons, was the icing on the cake. But that’s part of life in the NFL. Teammates get cut, traded, or leave in free agency. Granted, the Parsons deal came out of nowhere, but there’s no defending the way Diggs seemed to check out mentally afterward.
From that point on, it was a snowball effect. The distractions piled up, and it became an easy decision in the end.