Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs leaves the field after an injury during the fourth quarter against the New York Giants Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Trevon Diggs prefers one major change for Cowboys defense amid secondary struggles

Originally posted on Dallas Cowboys on SI
By Josh Sanchez | Last updated Oct 2, 2025 10:57 AM ET

The Dallas Cowboys' defense has been putrid through the first four weeks of the NFL season, with the secondary's inability to cover anyone being highlighted.

Sure, the defensive backs aren't getting any help from the pass rush, and Matt Eberflus' scheme is also leaving them out to dry. Rather than utilizing man-to-man coverage, Eberflus has been running a zone-heavy scheme.

At times, the defensive backs look lost and the complicated approach to his play-calling has led to confusion on the field and several blown coverages.

Cowboys All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs, who will be back in the starting lineup for Week 5 after being benched last weekend, would like to see more man coverage from the team. According to Jon Machota of The Athletic, the current zone-heavy scheme has forced Diggs to get "comfortable being uncomfortable."

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

"I wouldn’t say it’s more complexed, but when you’re playing man, you’re right there with the person. … As the weeks have been coming, (playing zone) has been way easier, way easier. I feel like we’re on our way to getting the ball and being on our way to making plays," Diggs said.

"At the end of the day, it’s not about what I want. It’s not about the other people. It’s about what the whole defense wants, what coach wants, what coach thinks is best for us to win. And if he feels like this gives us our best chance to win, we gotta play it and just play it to the best of our ability. It’s not to point fingers at nobody. It ain’t nobody’s fault. We just gotta execute."

Through September, Diggs has recorded 11 tackles, but has yet to record an interception or pass deflection. In recent years, he's been plagued by injuries and has yet to return to the form he was in back in 2021 when he led the NFL in interceptions.

Diggs is a ballhawk who excels in man coverage, so the current scheme has been taking him out of his element, and it shows. While Eberflus doesn't have to completely overhaul his defense, what he's been doing hasn't been working, so taking a recommendation from a player on the field who can be elite is worth a shot.