‘I Want to Win’: Seeking Career Revival, Trevon Diggs Ready to Help Seahawks Title Defense

RENTON, Wash. - Coming off a lost season due to injuries, Trevon Diggs had several potential landing spots on his radar this summer as he aimed to land with a new team, but he didn’t rush into a decision to ensure he found the best fit.

Previously an All-Pro with the Cowboys before a torn ACL suffered early in the 2023 season started a bad string of misfortune on the injury front, Diggs waited out the market after the Packers released him in January, awaiting the right situation to continue his career. After meeting with the Lions earlier in the offseason and drawing interest elsewhere, an impromptu visit with the Seahawks on Tuesday proved to be the perfect fit, and just 24 hours later, he had signed a contract.

Stepping up to the podium to speak with local media for the first time on Wednesday, Diggs made it clear that three things mattered most to him seeking a new team: familiarity at a place that “felt like home,” a real chance to play, and a winning culture. The Seahawks checked off all of those boxes, making it an easy decision to stay in town and sign the dotted line finding the best chance to get his career back on track.

“I’m looking to show that I’m still the best and I’m looking to show that I want to win,” Diggs said. “Be there for my teammates, be a great teammate, be a great player.”

A second round pick out of Alabama in 2020, Diggs burst onto the scene as one of the NFL’s best cover corners, leading the league with 11 interceptions and two pick sixes in a breakout 2021 campaign that culminated with a First-Team All-Pro selection. He followed up with another stellar, albeit not spectacular, 2022 season in which he intercepted three passes and hit double digits for pass breakups, continuing to get his hands on the football as much as any defensive back in the league as he earned Pro Bowl honors for a second straight year.

But then, starting with a fluky injury during practice on September 21, 2023, everything changed for Diggs. The Maryland native tore the ACL in his left knee during a 1-on-1 rep, ending his season after just two games as he underwent reconstructive knee surgery, finishing the year with four tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble after what had been an encouraging start.

Diggs returned from the injury in time to reclaim his No. 1 corner spot in Dallas and start the season opener in 2024, intercepting a pass in a 33-17 win over Cleveland. A groin injury and second surgery on his left knee ultimately cost him six games in the second half, and his bad luck continued last season as lingering concussion symptoms from a bizarre incident at home coupled with more knee trouble limited him to eight games before the Cowboys waived him in late December.

Given that string of injuries, Diggs didn’t generate much interest when free agency opened in March, and he used a quiet offseason to get his body right. Unlike the previous couple years where he found himself entrenched in constant rehab, he finally was able to just focus on training and working on football skills this spring with the goal of rounding back into his pre-injury form once he signed with a team.

“This is the first offseason I’ve been able to not rehab and do offseason training,” Diggs said. “A lot of trainers help me put the work in to help me get to where I’m at today, I’m truly thankful for that. It’s a blessing from God honestly to be able to come out here again.”

While Diggs will be joining a Seahawks secondary that features superstar Devon Witherspoon and steady veteran Josh Jobe atop the depth chart at cornerback and likely won’t have a starting job in front of him for the taking, the former Alabama standout has a prime opportunity to carve out consistent playing time if he’s all the way back from the injuries that dogged him in recent years.

Reuniting with defensive backs coach Karl Scott, who coached him on Nick Saban’s staff with the Crimson Tide during his college career before jumping to the NFL in 2021, Diggs will be thrust right into an open competition for the third cornerback spot. Third-year defender Nehemiah Pritchett currently sits as the front runner, receiving the bulk of the reps next to Witherspoon and Jobe in nickel/dime packages over the course of training camp, while versatile veteran Noah Igbinoghene - a former teammate of Diggs - remains in the mix offering inside/outside flexibility.

But after making a run at former Lions first round pick Terrion Arnold, who may still sign with the Seahawks down the road once his legal issues have been addressed, the Seahawks clearly have some concerns about their depth at the cornerback spot, at least from an experience standpoint. Pritchett has started just one game in his NFL career, Igbinoghene has primarily been a rotational reserve and special teams ace with three teams in six seasons, and third round pick Julian Neal has missed most of training camp with a leg injury, preventing him from throwing his helmet into the fight as hoped.

Compared to the rest of the competition, even given the injury problems since 2023, Diggs has a substantial advantage in the experience department with 63 career starts and 20 interceptions on his resume. He also should be equipped to hit the ground running to an extent from the standpoint that he has played for Scott and defensive coordinator Aden Durde in the past and has several former teammates from his time at both Alabama and Dallas on the roster, including Demarcus Lawrence and Jobe, who already has started helping him learn the playbook in Mike Macdonald’s complex scheme.

"There’s a lot of similarities. Talking to Josh earlier today, he’s telling us a lot of similarities,” Diggs remarked. “He’s saying he’ll help me out, get the playbook down. I’ll be in my playbook every day to get the whole defense down. Being able to be give myself a chance, give myself an opportunity to come out here and compete and help win.”

Having played with Jobe and Igbinoghene as well as Lawrence and Dante Fowler Jr. in the past, Diggs will have no shortage of resources to turn to as he begins diving into Macdonald’s defense. From a team-building standpoint, for those he has not played with before, he will be thrown right into the fire during a joint practice scheduled with the Titans on Friday, providing a great chance to get to know those who he hopes to be fighting alongside on Sundays this fall.

As for a timeline for when Diggs could make his game debut, he didn’t rule out the possibility of being ready in time for Seattle’s preseason finale in Kansas City on August 28, just five days after facing Tennessee on Sunday. But as he acknowledged, he has to “put the work in” before then for that to become a reality, and it’s possible the team won’t be rushing to get him out onto the field for an exhibition contest, instead building a ramp up timeline around readying him for a Super Bowl LX rematch with New England.

For now, Diggs plans to take everything one day at a time, eager to step into the ring as a viable competitor for Pritchett, Igbinoghene, and the rest of Seattle’s cornerback group seeking snaps with the defending champions. Coming in without any preset expectations aside from doing whatever it takes to help the team win and knowing he has to earn playing time, he’s grateful for a clean bill of health, confident a full offseason of training will allow him to be the best version of himself and make an impact down the line for Macdonald’s defense.

“It’s been a long journey. I’m just extremely thankful. It’s been a blessing from God. I thank him the most. I’m just thankful for this opportunity.”