Dallas Cowboys cornerback duo: 'We are in a league of our own'
OXNARD, Calif. - The Dallas Cowboys are glad to have cornerback Trevon Diggs back at practice. He was cleared to return to training camp in Oxnard, California after a torn ACL ended his season last fall.
Now, Diggs is looking to create a dynamic duo with fellow star cornerback Daron Bland.
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The usually soft-spoken and short-winded Diggs was unusually spicy on Wednesday after hearing that a recent ESPN list of the NFL’s top 10 cornerbacks didn’t have his name on it.
"I feel like I’m in a league of my own. There’s nobody that I could do what I do. There’s nobody that can do what Bland does. I feel like we are in a league of our own and that’s that," he said. "We don’t care about no list. Our work is going to show on the field. If you could pull up another DB on that list that did what we did, show me."
Diggs led the NFL with 11 interceptions in 2021, so he is clearly one of the best in the game today.
Aside from being slighted, Diggs said he feels exceptionally good about this season.
He can physically do everything now, although he is being cautious working his way back at Cowboys practice.
For the 25-year-old, this was the longest he can remember being away from football.
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And even before he got cleared to play, Diggs had started spending time in the mornings at Oxnard meeting with new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and teammate Micah Parsons.
Bland’s name was also omitted from the top 10 list despite leading the NFL last fall with nine interceptions and setting a league record with five pick-sixes in one season.
He did all of that primarily without Diggs playing cornerback on the other side of the field.
Bland, a fifth-round pick in just his second NFL season, stepped up in a huge way when Diggs went down and ultimately put up the best numbers of any corner in the league.
Being slighted by the list angers him just a bit.
"I mean yeah, a little bit. You know, it’s not something I’m not used to. I’ve always been kind of underrated. I had one offer coming out of college, so I already know how kind of what it is. Everybody’s gonna have their options," he said.
Diggs gave Bland the highest possible praise, calling him the best cornerback in the NFL right now.
"I mean, you have a teammate and coaches like this that breed that confidence in you, you’re going to always believe you’re the best. And I always try to prove that on the field," he said.
And with confidence oozing from the also often quiet Bland, he said he believes his tandem with Diggs is the best right now in the NFL.