The Las Vegas Raiders find themselves in dire straits near the end of the 2025 NFL season, which, unfortunately, is not unfamiliar territory for the franchise. Naturally, every coach and player made available around the league will seem like an upgrade and something worth entertaining for the team.
While it is true that the Raiders need to have an incredible offseason and make significant changes if they want to turn this ship around, not everyone fits the bill in Las Vegas. Especially not players who were so easily discarded by their previous teams.
On Tuesday, the Dallas Cowboys, as they tend to do, shook the NFL world when it was reported that they were waiving cornerback Trevon Diggs. While it may be enticing for John Spytek to add Diggs into the fold, the Raiders have no business trying to turn the Cowboys' trash into treasure.
Cowboys just proved Raiders shouldn't go down Trevon Diggs route
To understand why Las Vegas shouldn't take a flyer on Diggs, it is important to understand why Dallas waived him. Not only are the Cowboys well over the salary cap limit for the 2026 season and needing to clear some space financially, but Diggs and the team haven't exactly seen eye-to-eye lately.
Diggs' being released with just one game left in the season could imply that he and the team were at odds like never before, and the two sides may have reached their breaking point. Plus, Diggs' play has fallen off quite a bit from his days as a Pro Bowler and First-Team All-Pro in 2021 and 2022.
Not to mention, Diggs hasn't been healthy for Dallas, either. Since those two dominant campaigns, he has played in just 21 games for the Cowboys over the last three seasons. Yes, the Raiders could use another piece in the secondary, but they need someone who can be reliably available.
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Las Vegas would also have to pay Diggs $14.5 million in base salary next season and potentially take on a dead cap hit of $18.4 million if they were to claim him on waivers. That is far too rich for the Raiders' blood, especially because they can get Eric Stokes for far cheaper.
The Raiders need a massive talent influx this offseason, but they don't need another player who is going to be a headache. Yes, the Cowboys partially released Diggs for financial reasons, but he has also regressed, is always hurt, and ultimately became a distraction.
Dallas would have overlooked most of his shortcomings if he were still a star player, but he just isn't. He's more of a familiar name at this point. For those reasons, Las Vegas would be unwise to add Diggs into the mix and fall into the same trap that the Cowboys have over the last few years.