Getty Images Trevon Diggs of the Dallas Cowboys.
Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase will see a lot of Dallas Cowboys All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs on Sunday but he doesn’t sound too worried about it.
Chase is coming off a 10-reception, 129-yard game in Cincinnati’s opening loss to Pittsburgh, picking up right where he left off during a record-setting rookie campaign. He doesn’t expect his production to fall off with Diggs covering him, dubbing him a boom or bust defender.
“He’s an athlete,” Chase told reporters. “He’s got great ball skills in the air and he’s super fast. He’s not too technique sound, though. He’s a little hit or miss. He’s either all the way on or he’s not all the way on. But he’s definitely a great athlete.”
Ja’Marr Chase on Trevon Diggs. “Great ball skills” but there could be opportunities for big plays. #RuleTheJungle
Chase did admit that he believes it will be a good matchup and didn’t want to add even more fuel on the fire.
“I mean, it’s a big matchup, but you know what’s coming,” Chase said. “Me and him and both. I’m not going to do too much talking on that.”
Burrow Says Bengals Have to be Aware of Diggs
To be fair, Chase has a point. Diggs did nab a league-high 11 receptions — which also tie the Cowboys’ single-season franchise record. However, Pro Football Focus had Diggs giving up 1,068 yards in coverage and five scores last season, allowing 18.5 yards per reception. For comparison’s sake, Jalen Ramsey — the other All-Pro first-team cornerback — gave up 595 yards, three touchdowns and a 10.1 per reception average.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was a little more complimentary of Diggs and will probably carry a bit of extra caution into the game after tossing four interceptions last week.
“[Diggs] makes a lot of plays, with however many interceptions he had last year. It felt like a million,” Burrow said on Wednesday. “He’s not afraid to take chances, he’s going to jump routes and you’ve got to be aware of who you’re throwing a 50-50 ball to when he’s covering them, because he’s going to make a play. I think he’s a former receiver at some point in his career. You’ve got to be aware of that.”
Cowboys See Old Friend in OT La’el Collins
The Cowboys will be seeing an old friend in La’el Collins when they take the field for the matchup against the Bengals. Collins was released by Dallas in March with three years left on his deal. He started 71 games in Dallas over six years.
Collins had some shade for his former squad when it came to coaching, showing love to his current offensive line coach Frank Pollack in Cincy and saying he wasn’t getting what he need in Dallas from Joe Philbin.
La’el Collins on leaving Dallas & going to Cincinnati: “To be coached by a great off. line coach (Frank Pollack) who also played the position. I got to the point in my career where I felt like I wasn’t getting the things I needed. Coming here that was definitely the reason why.”
“To back here with Frank and to be coached by a great offensive line coach, somebody that also played the position, is big,” Collins said. “I got to that point in my career where I felt like I wasn’t getting the things that I needed. Coming here, that was the definitely reason why. … At this stage of my career, any player wants to be coached and be coached hard and wants that feedback. I think Frank does a great job of that.”
The Bengals are a touchdown road favorite against Dallas for the matchup, per Odds Shark.