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The Green Bay Packers are adding another former standout from the Dallas Cowboys‘ defense.
Cornerback Trevon Diggs has been claimed off waivers by the Packers a day following his release from the Cowboys, NFL Media reported Wednesday. The Packers will reportedly be on the hook for Diggs’ $472,000 base salary and $58,823 bonus he’d get for being active for Week 18.
Green Bay’s decision to add Diggs comes four months after it traded for Micah Parsons from Dallas, a move that helped the Packers have one of the league’s top defenses this season. However, Parsons tore his ACL earlier in December, and the Packers have seen a handful of other key players go down with injuries in recent weeks ahead of the postseason. In the secondary, the Packers placed cornerback Kamal Hadden on injured reserve on Tuesday, while cornerback Nate Hobbs and safety Zayne Anderson are reportedly likely to miss the rest of the season.
The Packers enter Week 18 with a 9-6-1 record and are locked into the No. 7 seed in the NFC for a third straight year. They were ahead in the NFC North race for much of the season, but their Week 16 loss to the Chicago Bears put a dagger in their hopes to win the division.
Still, as quarterback Jordan Love seeks to make a return soon from the concussion that knocked him out of that Week 16 loss, the Packers remain hopeful about making a deep postseason run. They rank second in total defense among the NFC playoff contenders, and the addition of Diggs could help further bolster their defense.
Rumors of the Cowboys potentially moving on from Diggs grew in recent weeks as he spent nearly two months on injured reserve. Diggs missed eight games after sustaining a concussion in an accident at home, something Diggs waited two months to try to explain to reporters. He said he was hit in the head by a mounting pole while trying to install a TV. The team said Diggs’ delayed return was more about issues with the 27-year-old’s knees.
Asked during the absence what the team needed to see from Diggs to get him back on the field, head coach Brian Schottenheimer said the sixth-year player needed to show consistency in many areas in practice and in meetings. Owner Jerry Jones flatly said near the end of the absence that Diggs wasn’t healthy enough to play.
A person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press the decision on Diggs wasn’t the result of a specific incident.
Diggs’ departure was a culmination of factors, including performance and off-field issues, and the move was best for Diggs and the Cowboys, the person said on condition of anonymity because the team wasn’t commenting specifically on Diggs.
The Cowboys withheld a workout bonus in Diggs’ contract after he spent last offseason rehabbing his latest knee injury with his own medical personnel. He was also benched by Schottenheimer early in the season for reasons the coach never fully explained.
Diggs eventually returned to the Cowboys’ lineup in Week 16, but he’s largely struggled this season. Opposing quarterbacks have posted a perfect passer rating (158.3) when they’ve targeted receivers Diggs has covered this season, as the cornerback has allowed three touchdowns in eight games, per Pro Football Focus.
Diggs briefly emerged as one of the best cornerbacks in football not long after the Cowboys selected him in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. That helped him get a five-year, $97 million extension ahead of the 2023 season. However, the two-time Pro Bowler has only played 21 games since then, tearing his ACL in the 2023 season and undergoing an operation to repair the same knee in 2024.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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