.
The Dallas Cowboys finally rid themselves of the walking albatross that was former NFL All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs late in the 2025 season, admitting defeat with a player who only played in 19 regular-season games after he signed a 5-year, $97.6 million contract extension before the 2023 season.
What the Cowboys need to do now is simple — draft another elite cornerback.
Pro Football Focus called LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane the “Perfect Draft Pick” for the Cowboys at No. 12 overall — the first of 2 first round picks the Cowboys have available in 2026, along with the No. 20 pick from trading edge rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers.
From PFF: “The Cowboys earned the worst coverage grade in the NFL this season (30.9) and desperately need to upgrade their secondary. Delane surrendered only a 26.7 passer rating into his coverage this year, the lowest mark among Power Four cornerbacks.”
Transfer Put Delane in National Spotlight
Delane, 6-foot and 191 pounds, played his first 3 seasons of college football at Virginia Tech, where he was a Freshman All-American in 2022 and named All-ACC in 2024 before he transferred to LSU.
Getting to play and thriving against the nation’s best competition thrust him onto draft boards. Through 7 games against SEC play, he has 33 tackles, 1 interception and 7 pass deflections. For his career, Delane has 7 interceptions, including 4 picks in 2024.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has Delane listed as the No. 4 cornerback on his 2026 Big Board.
On October 28, Delane was announced as one of the semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation’s top collegiate defensive back.
From NFL Draft Buzz: “After cutting his teeth at Virginia Tech for three seasons where he started 29 consecutive games, Mansoor Delane made the calculated decision to bet on himself and transfer to LSU for his final collegiate campaign. This wasn’t just another player looking for NIL money — this was a future pro meticulously plotting his path to Sundays.”
Diggs’ Time in Dallas Came to Messy End
Diggs was claimed by the Packers off waivers on December 31 — just one day after he was released by the Cowboys.
Diggs missed 8 games this season following a mysterious, at-home accident he later said came from a television falling on his head as he tried to mount it on an outdoor patio — a disclosure that didn’t come until months after the accident.
The final straw for the Cowboys came when Diggs asked to stay in the Washington D.C. area and spend Christmas with his family after a game against the Washington Commanders on Christmas Day — Diggs is from the D.C. area — and not fly home on the team plane.
The Cowboys refused his request and Diggs stayed anyways.
” … Things can get spun but bottom line? Team wanted him to return back with team postgame to Dallas and fly back to Washington area on his own,” The NFL Network’s Jane Slater wrote on X hours before news broke of Diggs signing with the Packers. “He didn’t. That clearly pushed an already tenuous situation but the end was inevitable and he ultimately made a choice and the team made theirs but it doesn’t mean he’s a liar.”
