Getty Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones interacts with fans before an NFL game.
The Dallas Cowboys are steadily moving toward the start of the 2023 NFL season, but there are still major moves to be made. The team’s latest focus appears to be centered two-time Pro Bowler and Cowboys corner Trevon Diggs.
Dallas’ biggest offseason moves have either been trades for new starters or restructuring the team’s most expensive contracts. Getting Diggs his new deal could be the reason why Dallas has been opening up cap space.
According to ESPN reporter Jeremy Fowler, Dallas has been “checking in” with Diggs over the past few weeks. It sounds as if both the Cowboys and Diggs’ camp are happy to talk about a new deal.
“This is a top cornerback in the league, one of the best, 17 interceptions the last three years. I’m told that the Cowboys and Diggs have had like some check-in moments about a potential contract extension over recent weeks this offseason. And so, certainly both sides could be open to that. The market now for cornerbacks at the top, about $21 million per year, so we’ll see how close Diggs could get to that in the next few months,” Fowler said on Sportscenter on June 3.
Getting a deal done before the season would lock down the team’s No. 1 corner for the long-term, but it could also provide a morale boost to the locker room. Committing to a top player is always a good sign for a roster.
Diggs Set for Huge Contract
If or when the Cowboys and Diggs agree to a deal, the contract ought to be one of the biggest in the cornerback market. However, it is not a guarantee that it will reset the market and make Diggs the highest-paid CB in the league.
Pro Football Focus recently projected the 24-year-old corner to land a $81 million deal spanning four years. It would not surpass Green Bay Packers CB Jaire Alexander’s deal, but would put him in the upper echelon.
“With all of that said, because of the volatility in Diggs’ play, despite very high highs that could have him asking to reset a market that frankly hasn’t grown since Jalen Ramsey’s 2020 extension, we have him landing in the area of $20 million per year but not above Jaire Alexander at the very top,” the PFF article reads.
A four-year deal would allow Diggs to get at least one more big contract before he turns 30, maybe even two depending on how things shake out.
Cowboys CB Could Be Switching Positions
While Dallas potentially commits to Diggs for the long term, the team also appears to be moving Kelvin Joseph from the corner position to safety instead.
During one of the Cowboys’ first OTAs, 105.3 The Fan’s Bobby Belt pointed out that Joseph was doing most of his work away from the corners and with the safeties instead.
“Kelvin Joseph spent much of practice working with the safety group,” Belt wrote.
Kelvin Joseph spent much of practice working with the safety group.
Joseph has had a tough start to his NFL career after being drafted in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft. However, a change of position could better utilize his skillset and ensure that he can keep his roster spot heading into the fall of 2023.