Cowboys may have irritated Trevon Diggs by not trading for Stefon Diggs
By Jerry Trotta
It turns out the Dallas Cowboys won't be trading for Stefon Diggs. Fans and even star cornerback Trevon Diggs have fought the good fight for over a year since it first became possible that Diggs could find his way out of Buffalo.
Well, the Bills finally offloaded Diggs on Wednesday, sending him to the Texans for a 2025 second-round pick. Houston made out like bandits, as the second-round pick was actually Minnesota's after the Vikings traded with the Texans for the No. 23 overall pick.
Houston also got a 2024 sixth-round pick and a 2025 fifth-rounder so they essentially obtained Diggs and more draft picks without giving up their own pick. It's the kind of move Cowboys fans expected this offseason after Jerry Jones promised to be all-in after the team's humiliating wild card loss.
For Trevon Diggs, this all but ensures he and his older brother will never share a locker room. A silver lining is that the Diggs bros will be closer in proximity, but the Cowboys star seemingly wasn't happy after the trade went down.
Cowboys' Trevon Diggs has frustrated reaction to Stefon Diggs trade
Diggs recognizes that the Texans weren't crying out for WR help, but didn't rest on their laurels and made an excellent trade.
A third-round pick in 2021, Nico Collins established himself as a legit No. 1 last season. In 15 games, Collins caught 80 passes for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns. He finished second in yards per route run and first in passer rating when targeted, per Pro Football Focus.
Meanwhile, 2023 third-round pick Tank Dell was unstoppable before a leg injury ended his season after 11 games. Dell managed 47 catches for 709 yards and seven touchdowns. He averaged over 15.0 yards per catch and finished 11th at the position in average depth of target.
The Cowboys have a top-five WR in CeeDee Lamb, but there are serious questions behind him, especially after the release of Michael Gallup. Entering his age-31 season, Brandin Cooks' production was erratic throughout the 2023 season and he isn't the deep threat he once was.
All of that said, Diggs' supposed frustration is misplaced.
The idea of pairing a perennial Pro Bowler in Stefon Diggs with Lamb is mouthwatering. However, it's unlikely that Dallas would have been able to absorb his contract. Diggs brings a four-year, $72 million contract to Houston, including $18.5 million guaranteed in 2024. There's an easy out in 2025, but a Lamb extension is coming and no team can afford to pay two WRs top of the market money.
Collins and Dell are still on their rookie deals and most importantly quarterback C.J. Stroud, a budding superstar at the position, will make just $915,000 next season.
At the same time, though, the Cowboys knew 15 months ahead of time that Prescott and Lamb needed new deals. Had those contracts been done ahead of time, they'd have more wiggle room to potentially entertain a Stefon Diggs trade. It'd still be unlikely, but the cap would be less of an excuse.
Either way, it's easy to understand where Diggs is coming from. The in-state Texans now have three dynamic receivers while the Cowboys cry poverty and allocate the bare minimum resources to bolster a roster that is leaking oil at multiple positions.