The waiting game surrounding Trevon Diggs appears to be moving in the right direction for the Seattle Seahawks.
Diggs has started out September on Seattle’s practice squad while working himself back into football shape and learning a new defense.
With the season opener against the New England Patriots approaching, defensive coordinator Aden Durde provided an encouraging assessment of the veteran cornerback.
“I’ve really seen him get his legs underneath him,” Durde said of Diggs in a clip posted by HawkBlogger Brian Nemhauser.
– Aden Durde on Trevon Diggs
ESPN’s Brady Henderson noted that Diggs had been away from an NFL team since January, with his conditioning and command of Seattle’s scheme expected to help determine how quickly he enters the competition at cornerback.
Diggs Making Progress After Late Start With Seahawks
Seattle knew it was getting a player who would need some time when it added Diggs less than two weeks before final roster cuts.
Diggs had endured an uneven few seasons physically. A torn ACL ended his 2023 campaign after two games, and injuries limited him to 11 appearances in 2024. He played eight games with the Dallas Cowboys last season before his December release and brief stint with the Green Bay Packers.
His first game action with Seattle came in the Aug. 28 preseason finale against Kansas City. After only two practices with the team, Diggs intercepted a pass and finished with a tackle and pass breakup.
“I feel I got the jitters out,” Diggs said afterward, according to Seahawks.com, explaining that it had been seven months since he last put on equipment for a game.
Seattle still left him off the initial 53-man roster, then brought him back on the practice squad. The team said at the time that Diggs would remain involved in the competition to become its third cornerback.
Durde’s latest update suggests the physical portion of that process is beginning to come along.
Seahawks Have Decision to Make Before Patriots Rematch
Whether that progress is enough to put Diggs on the field ASAP remains undecided.
Head coach Mike Macdonald called Diggs a “viable” option for Week 1 following the preseason finale. Seattle later acknowledged in a Sept. 2 team mailbag that an elevation for the opener wouldn’t be surprising, although Diggs was working through both the physical and mental sides of his late arrival.
The secondary already has Devon Witherspoon and Josh Jobe set at the top, while Nehemiah Pritchett and rookie Avery Smith are among Seattle’s other options.
Diggs, however, has a career none of those competitors can match. The 27-year-old earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2021 after leading the NFL with 11 interceptions and followed that season with another Pro Bowl selection. He has 20 career interceptions.
Seattle doesn’t need the 2021 version of Diggs to surface quickly, but it does need him ready enough to become another trustworthy piece in Macdonald’s secondary.
Three days before the Super Bowl rematch, Durde’s assessment offered the clearest indication yet that Diggs is getting closer.
Seahawks Former All-Pro Gets Encouraging Update Before Patriots Rematch