Commanders predicted to sign former $97 million history-making Cowboys starter

Improving on the defensive side of the ball should be among the Washington Commanders’ top priorities this offseason.

Washington ranked 27th in points allowed and 28th in passing defense last season, explaining why the NFC East franchise finished the year with a lopsided 5-12 record.

Fox Sports’ Greg Auman has a hunch that the Commanders could sign a history-making former Dallas Cowboys starting cornerback (in 2021, he became the first player in Cowboys history to total five interceptions in four games) to help them get back on the right track defensively.

“Diggs, 27, is a wild card on this list, two years removed from making $19 million a year, yet a player who was cut by the Cowboys and (Green Bay) Packers at the end of this past season,” Auman wrote last Thursday. 

“He has an 11-interception season on his resume, but went all of 2025 without so much as a pass defensed. He's worth a shot for a team that doesn't have to rely on him as an every-down corner, but what kind of contract does that yield? Spotrac has him at $7.5 million, which still seems like a big investment on a prove-it deal.”

Diggs' stint in Dallas got off to a red-hot start. In addition to recording 17 interceptions during his first three NFL seasons, the former second-round pick also finished with 169 total tackles. 

Unsurprisingly, Diggs earned two Pro Bowl nods during those three years, but injuries and a risky tendency to take gambles (making him susceptible to double moves) resulted in decreased production. Dallas released the Alabama product this past December, and the Packers claimed him off waivers the following day. 

In the one game Diggs appeared in with the Packers last season (NFC Wild Card matchup against the Chicago Bulls), the 27-year-old only recorded one tackle in Green Bay’s disappointing 31-27 loss. 

Like Auman pointed out, though, the Commanders could still feel compelled to sign Diggs to a cheap one-year deal in free agency and give him a chance to show he can be a productive asset in a different environment. 

It’ll be up to Washington to decide if Diggs is worth a short-term investment.

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