RELEASED: Trevon Diggs WAIVED Ahead of Week 18 | Dallas Cowboys Make Shocking Move!

Summary

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Locked On Cowboys – Trevon Diggs Waived Ahead of Week 18 (December 31, 2025)

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode tackles the Dallas Cowboys’ shocking release of former All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs just before Week 18. Hosts Marcus Mosher and Landon McCool break down the timeline leading to Diggs’ departure, assess the implications for the Cowboys’ cornerback room, and provide crucial context for the team’s future moves. The second half of the show looks ahead to draft implications and rooting interests for Week 18, as well as trade strategies heading into the offseason.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Trevon Diggs Release: Context & Reaction

• Initial Reaction:
  Marcus leads with a somber tone, emphasizing the disappointment and sense of loss associated with Diggs’ career arc:
  “It really bums me out that we got here because this was somebody the Cowboys drafted in round two... turned into an All-Pro caliber player… It’s a bummer.” (02:49)
• Timeline Review (Landon):
  • Drafted in 2020.
  • Breakout 2021 with six consecutive games with interceptions.
  • Even better, more disciplined play in 2022.
  • Tore ACL late September 2023.
  • Return in 2024 was riddled with further injuries (groin, recurring knee issues), and required another surgery after a lackluster campaign.
  • An odd 2025 incident—a TV allegedly fell on his head leading to a concussion.
  • Long-term contract in August 2023 ($100 million/ ~$40M guaranteed) (04:57).
• Cowboys’ Early Contract Strategy:
  Landon underscores how Diggs’ early extension, though logical based on prior performance, is “another early signing... that did not work out, that kind of almost immediately failed.” (05:00)
• Fading Performance & Roster Value:
  The consensus is that Diggs hadn’t played good football in nearly two years, and the mounting injuries and “off-field nonsense” overshadowed his potential.

The Final Straw: Off-Field Conduct

• Incident Leading to Release:
  According to reports (shoutout to Nick Harris), after the Christmas Day Washington game, Diggs requested to stay in DC with family. The Cowboys deny such requests as a standard practice.
  “Diggs, after being told no, stayed anyway. He did not fly back with the team, and that was kind of the last straw.” (07:30)
• Discipline vs. Performance:
  Landon points out the connection between Diggs’ “freelancing” on the field and disregard for coaching off it:
  “He doesn't have the kind of respect for the coaches to like, listen to them in the first place... If he was playing well, he probably would have gotten away with this... but he’s not.” (08:49)
• Marcus’ Reflection:
  “This was one of the success stories of the Cowboys’ ability to draft and develop these guys. And for the way that the last couple years have went… it’s just a sad chapter.” (09:49)
• Concussion Mystery:
  Marcus brings up the oddness surrounding Diggs’ concussion report (“a TV hit him”) and how the team just wanted to “wash their hands of it.” (10:19)
• No Turning Back:
  Both hosts agree that the relationship was irreparably broken:
  Landon: “The relationship was broken and we’ve been talking about it being broken for, frankly, the whole season.” (11:41)

Cowboys’ Future at Cornerback: Immediate Outlook

• Current Personnel:
  Marcus lists the cornerback room for 2026:
  • DaRon Bland (recovering from foot surgery)
  • Kaylin Carson (healthy scratch at times)
  • Savion Ravel (rookie, “mostly down”)
  • Ready Stewart (mainly slot player)
• Coordinator Uncertainty:
  Landon: “You don’t really know who your defensive coordinator is going to be in 2026 and I think that’s going to matter.” (15:09)
• Roster Construction & Defensive Style:
  Debate over whether the Cowboys will look for more “man” corners or continue with a longer, physical archetype. The answer may shift with the next DC’s preferences (16:47).
• Draft and Free Agency Realities:
  The 2026 draft class is thin at CB and the projected free agent market is unexciting (“the top two names are Nahshon Wright and Chidobe Awuzie. That’s just, I thought that was really funny.” – Marcus, 17:17).
• Patchwork Approach Acceptable:
  Landon supports signing veteran “average NFL cornerbacks... it at least raises the floor to the point where you’re not concerned about getting murdered each week in the passing game.” (19:25)
• Rookie Corners Not a Quick Fix:
  Marcus: “A corner is historically one of the positions that takes the longest to develop... I don’t know if two rookie corners is the way to go.” (20:50)
  • They joke about Tennessee’s McCoy as a draft prospect (18:24), but agree veteran stop-gaps might be the only option.

Week 18 Rooting Guide & Draft Order Implications

• Playoff and Draft Stakes Explained:
  Cowboys’ draft position could range between #11-18, pending various Week 18 outcomes (see: 27:06–29:33).
• Games That Matter:
  Key matchups include Buccaneers/Panthers, Giants/Cowboys, Falcons/Saints, Bengals/Browns, Colts/Texans, Vikings/Packers (“there’s a chance the Packers bench a lot of starters”), Dolphins/Patriots, Lions/Bears, Ravens/Steelers (25:00–26:34).
• Rationale:
  With many teams around Dallas in the draft order likely to go defense/pass rush, one loss could be the difference between elite and second-tier prospects:
  “If you’re drafting at 11, you might get Reuben Bain, but at 18, you might get the fifth edge rusher off the board.” (27:06)
• Root for Ravens and Lions Wins:
  A Ravens win over the Steelers is highlighted; Detroit and Minnesota outcomes also crucial for draft slot (28:43).
• Draft Night Dread:
  Landon: “It could be a very brutal draft night watching pick after pick of defensive players, especially at the position you’re looking to draft, coming off the board right before you pick.” (28:02)

Trade-Back Odds in the Draft

• Listener Question:
  “What are the odds the Cowboys trade back with one of these picks?” (29:33)
• Marcus’ Take:
  Expects any trade-down would likely be with the Packers pick, not their presumably higher own pick, to accumulate day two assets (29:50).
• Rationale:
  Potentially picking up a third- or fourth-rounder for a running back or linebacker (30:18).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Landon on Diggs’ fall:
  “Where he’s come from… early 2023 to where we are today is just really disappointing. And it’s… team building, altering.” (05:00)
• Marcus, simply:
  “It’s just a bummer because when Diggs was healthy and right… he was one of the most fun players in the league.” (06:36)
• On the final straw:
  “If you’re just going to blatantly disobey orders from the head coach, we don’t need you on this team.” (07:49)
• Landon, unfiltered:
  “Some people are pitting this in some sort of, like, Eberflus or Diggs situation. Like, it’s both guys. Get them both out of here.” (09:11)
• On the future at CB:
  “Beggers can be choosers, that’s fine. But… you’re going into an offseason with a need at cornerback and there isn’t necessarily a great [class] coming in...” (16:52)
• Marcus looks for practical solutions:
  “You need guys that can come in here and just play because we’re talking about like Ready Stewart, Savon Revel and Kayn Carson could potentially be your cornerbacks for like all offseason...” (18:24)
• Draft realism:
  “It’s a weak-link system... there is a benefit to having a top-end CB1... but you have to have a nice floor, a good collection of talent to match up to multiple guys.” (19:25)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Trevon Diggs timeline and context: 02:49–06:36
• Incident leading to release: 07:30–08:49
• Off-field/On-field correlation & locker room discipline: 08:49–10:55
• Cowboys’ cornerback room analysis, future plan: 14:55–21:41
• Draft order and Week 18 rooting guide: 25:00–28:43
• Trade-back discussion: 29:33–30:18

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Final Takeaways

• The release of Trevon Diggs marks a disappointing end for a cornerback who once symbolized the Cowboys’ draft and developmental success.
• Injuries, off-field discipline, and declining production all contributed to his abrupt exit—a classic example of high hopes dashed by real-world NFL unpredictability.
• The Cowboys now face pressing questions and few easy answers at cornerback, with a limited draft/free agent crop and little veteran depth.
• Week 18 rooting interests and draft-craft trade moves remain crucial as Dallas looks to rebound and reload for 2026.

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Hosts:
Marcus Mosher: @Marcus_Mosher
Landon McCool: @McCoolBCB
Network: Locked On Podcast Network

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Transcript

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Learn [e-mail] Sportage Hybrid Kia Movement that Inspires. It's officially an end of an era for the Dallas Cowboys as they've released Trayvon Diggs. We'll tell you how we got here next. You are Locked On Cowboys, your daily Dallas Cowboys podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day. Welcome back to the Locked On Cowboys Podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day. Like to thank you for making us the number one sports podcast network and today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account and use promo code LAT NFL for $20 off your first purchase welcome back. I am your host Marcus Mosher. He is Lana McCool and we've got a packed show for you today. We're going to talk about a rooting guide for week 18, but we've got to start with the biggest story out of Dallas. The Cowboys have released former all pro cornerback Trayvon Diggs. We're going to talk about the incident that led to his release. But big picture land, and this is, I understand why the Cowboys released him. I actually, I agree with the decision, but there's a part of me that's just, it really bums me out that we got here because this was somebody the Cowboys drafted in round two. We were all thrilled when they got him in the second round. He turned into an all pro caliber player. That 21, 2021 season was unbelievable. 2022 was just as good. He didn't have quite as many interceptions. He gets hurt in 2023 and from there everything goes downhill. He's a 27 year old cornerback who's now no longer on the team and it's a bummer.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah. Real quick, let's just do the full timeline. So drafted like you said, 2020, right. At six consecutive games in 2021 in which he had an interception, seven total interceptions during that run. Was outstanding. Had a very good 2022 where he had less interceptions. But we all kind of agreed, played better. A much better, much less Boomer bust. Right. Still was getting interceptions but playing better football. And I think he even came out those first few weeks in 2023 and played was playing really awesome football. Maybe his best football. Right. Tears his ACL on September end of September 2023. He comes back in early September 2024 and it's just not quite the same. Right. Like he's, he's, you know, and obviously that's, that's not uncommon. Right. Was deals with a series of kind of, you know, chained lower body injuries. I think he had a groin injury at a certain point. And then we find in December after what was a kind of disappointing season just overall that he needs to have surgery on that same eight leg that he has the ACL injury in. It's so. And then you know, comes back and in 2025 and then a TV fell on his head. So you know, it's like it's, it's allegedly so, you know, the thing that's really kind of, you know, going over my mind is. And obviously in somewhere in the middle of there, I think in the in was a August of 2024, 20:23 I'm sorry, they signed the long term deal with him 2023.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, yeah.

[Landon McCool]

They give him like, I think it was $100 million, but it was like a $40 million guaranteed contract or something like that. So obviously, you know, there's a lot of different angles to this. You know, one, it's, it's for the Cowboys side of things. It's another example. And again, this is not me arguing against this strategy. I'm just pointing this out. This is another early signing that the Cowboys made that did not work out, that kind of almost immediately failed, I think, again, which is not good if you're a Cowboys fan because you want the Joneses to continue to try to sign people early instead of waiting as we've all been arguing. And then obviously it's just a bummer because you had what you felt was a really great play player and, and where he's come from, you know, like I said, Early 2023 to where we are today is just really disappointing. And it's, and obviously, you know, team building, altering and so yeah, it's, it's just been. And obviously we don't need to talk about what's happened so much in 2025 because we've been talking about it constantly. But the thing that really strikes me, Marcus, is those the way the, the injury went down with the ACL previously and then the way he came back and, and tried to fight through it and then, you know, just kind of succumbed to injuries again. By December, it's starting. That's what feels extremely familiar this year. Right where it felt like he came back from this injury maybe a little bit earlier than people expected, but it was at the expense of the long term health of his body for the season. And, and you know, in this case, he never really played good football and it's been almost two years since he's played good football. To be.

[Marcus Mosher]

It's just a bummer because when Diggs was healthy and right in 2021, 2022, and he was one of the most fun players in the league, I mean, you didn't really want to throw at him because he was so dangerous with the football in his hands. And then in 2023 you get Duron Bland who sets the pick six record.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah.

[Marcus Mosher]

And you think, okay, hey, the Cowboys are set. They've got these two awesome ball hot cornerbacks and they played a total of like 10 games together. It just, it, it just never worked out the way that we were hoping. But let's talk about what led to the release on Tuesday, there was a couple different reports. We'll piece them together a little bit. I want to shout out Nick Harris, who got a lot of this. Yeah, Trayvon Diggs, after the Washington game on Christmas Day, asked Brian Schottenheimer to stay in D.C. so he could spend time with his family. It's not a ridiculous request. However, he asked for it after the game. There's these teams try to get out of these games as fast as possible. And, and after talking to our guy, you Stretch, who was with the Cowboys, they never grant those because it's a business trip. And the thing is, hey, we're flying there together, we're leaving together. We're going to do this as a team. We're going to celebrate on the plane and then you can go off and celebrate during your four or five day break. Diggs, after being told no, stayed anyways. He did not fly back with a team, and that was kind of the last straw. The Cowboys are like, okay, if you're just going to blatantly disobey orders from the head coach, we don't need you on this team. He wasn't going to be here in 20. But this is a way to kind of, I don't want to say this is a culture building moment, but it kind of is like, you cannot deliberately disobey your head coach.

[Landon McCool]

Well, and, and, and it kind of was indicative of, of how he had been behaving, it seems like, for most of the season. Right. Like, I mean, look, we don't know for sure. We're not inside those locker rooms, but it's hard not to get the vibe that there was a lot of freelancing going.

[Marcus Mosher]

Trayvon Diggs, like he said, though, those big plays can be really big, but, you know, we give up a lot because of the way he plays where it's not super disciplined. It's funny, that kind of, the off field stuff, it kind of mirrors what happens on the field.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, I mean, you know, he doesn't have the kind of respect for the coaches to like, listen to them in the first place. I mean, what, what are they supposed to do here? And then, you know, some folks are commenting that it's like, you know, that, that they would, he would have probably gotten away with this if he was playing well. Yeah, he probably would have, guys. But guess what? He's not playing well. And I think the fact that he's not listening to the coaches and not playing well, I, you know, I think is, is a pretty big sign that, that this is an issue that needs to be resolved. I. I think some people are pitting this in some sort of, like, Eber floose or dig situation. Like, it's both guys. Get. Get them both out of here. Like, you know, it doesn't need to be, you know, one thing, the problem all the time, like, especially with the defense, there's more than enough blame to go around. And. And, like, look, Diggs's behavior warrants what happened, to be honest. Like, that's. There's just no way around it. Eber Flutes will get his as well, I'm sure, but they still got a little more work to do before they're going to be ready to cut him.

[Marcus Mosher]

Do you know how I know the Eber flu is gone? Is that Jerry Jones called him uber floose, like, three different times on the radio on Tuesday. That's, like, kind of what happened when he was saying Michael Parsons. Right. I think it's happening. But, yeah, it's just. It's a sad chapter because, again, I know things have not gone well over the last couple years with Diggs, but this was one of the success stories of the Cowboys. Ability to draft and develop these guys. And for the way that the last couple years have. Have went.

[Landon McCool]

We.

[Marcus Mosher]

And you mentioned the concussion story, like, one of the weirder things that has happened this year. We just kind of forgot about it. Like, suddenly shows up the Friday before, coincidentally enough, the Washington game with a concussion. We don't hear why. It's been very mysterious. And then there's one report out there that he said he fell or he got a. A TV hit him. I. It's. I think the Cowboys were just done. I think they got to a point where all the other nonsense wasn't worth the product that they were getting on the field. They just wanted to wash their hands of it and be done with the whole situation.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah. I mean, look, and. And again, like, it's the kind of mixture of. Of really bad excuse not lining up. Everything just seems very suspect. It's just a situation you just don't want to deal with, you know, like, you just don't want to. Like, you don't trust it anymore. So I don't. I completely understand why the Cowboys are ready to separate from the situation. They were clearly ready before, but at this point now, it's like, look, I. We don't even need to finish this, the season here. We're done.

[Marcus Mosher]

And one last thing. If he would have been awesome in the Chargers game, the commander's game.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah.

[Marcus Mosher]

Maybe you talk yourself into. Well, you know, let's let him get fully healthy in the off season, then we'll figure it out. He's just not there. And maybe a change in scenery, maybe he will get healthier, he'll find, you know, the right team. I just don't think it was ever going to happen for the Cowboys again.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, I agree. I think the relationship was broken and we've been talking about it being broken for, frankly, the whole season.

[Marcus Mosher]

It feels like all right, let's talk about the Cowboys future plans at cornerback. Now that we know Trayvon Diggs won't be part of the equation. We'll get to that next this episode is brought to you by Game Time. We've got one week of the NFL season left, but then we've got the playoffs and there's nothing like being at the game. That playoff atmosphere is so much fun. The crowd noise, the energy and cheering alongside other fans and watching at home is great, but being in the stadium hits different. The frustrating part though is trying to get tickets, waiting in queues, dealing with logins and watching prices change right at the checkout. But that's why the Game Time app gives the advantage back to the fans. It's the hack of unlocking amazing NFL tickets and experiences in just a few taps. I pulled up the Game Time app because I would like to maybe go to a couple of these playoff games, especially if we get one in Buffalo. So a little far fetched, but we'll see. And I saw some incredible deals on some of the games here for Wildcard Weekend. Plus the app is incredibly easy to use. The browsing, the comparing and buying tickets took just seconds. It's so easy. So take the guesswork out of buying NFL tickets with GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account and use promo code lot NFL that is locked on NFL for $20 off you your first purchase terms apply again. Create an account redeem promo code lots on NFL for $20 off. Download the Game Time app today and get back to being there live.

[Landon McCool]

Locked.

[Marcus Mosher]

On listeners asked for more and now you can get it with the Everydayer Club for just $5 a month. You'll get every episode ad free plus access to our members only Discord Board, exclusive audio from Locked on, Sports Today and other perks you won't find anywhere else. If you never miss a show, this is the next step. Join the Everydayer club [e-mail] everydayerclub or visit the link in the show notes. That's lockedonpodcast.com everydayerclub part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day Foreign welcome back to the Loton Cowboys Podcast. We'd like to thank you for making us your first listen every single day. And thank you for making Locked on the number one sports podcast network. And if you haven't done so already, check out the new Everyday or club. You're going to get ad free episodes to the Lock On Cowboys Podcast, a members only Discord server and so much more for just $5 a month. So go to locked on cowboys supercast.com or check out the link in the show notes. All right. L let's talk about the Cowboys future at cornerback because this is suddenly a massive position of need. You've got Duron Bland under contract. However, he's dealing with a foot injury he's had surgery on. You've got Kaylin Carson, who's been a healthy scratch at times this year. You got Savon Ravel, who has been really up and down, mostly down as a rookie. You've got Ready Stewart, who has been mostly a slot player. And that's it. That's your cornerback room going into 2026 as of right now.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah. And you know, I think the other thing that we need to comment about here is that you don't really know who your defensive coordinator is going to be in 2026. And I think that's going to matter. You know, I, I think that, that McLay has a very specific type of corner that he likes. I mean, frankly, it's the one position where it feels like he does have an incredibly strong preference for, for body time. I mean, obviously there are other, you know, thresholds to be met. But it feels like if, if there is One position that McClay has a very distinct kind of, you know, predilection for, it's, it's those longer cornerbacks. So the question becomes like, is, is this going to be are we going to transition to more of a man defense? We're going to get back into kind of playing more man that probably might fit a little bit better than the group that you have right now. Still. Even, even considering Savon Revelle and where he's developing, I think he was better a kind of more of a man coverage, which is a really unique thing considering he's coming. He just came out of college, but I, I what kind of style of defense you're playing is going to make a difference. But, and then, and then you, you know, you have to kind of examine how exactly you want to attack this position, because I think if you're looking to play. Like if you bring in a Brian Flores or some, someone like that who plays a little bit more kind of advanced coverage, he's going to play a bunch of different stuff. You're going to want a more veteran, experienced, like heady corner to kind of come in here. So you may want to go the route of looking in the veteran market. If you're, if you're getting somebody who just wants somebody to come in here, man up and play man coverage with these guys, maybe you can go into the draft and get like a Gerard McCoy or you know, Delaney.

[Marcus Mosher]

Another corner. Can we really have another cornerback coming off an injury?

[Landon McCool]

I mean, do we have a choice? Like, I mean, I think that's the point. Like yes, the beggars can be choosers, that's fine. But I mean like ultimately, you know, the Cowboys are going into an off season with a need at cornerback and there isn't necessarily a great cornerback class coming into, into the the 2026 draft from the top. There's not necessarily a, a huge free agent class that I'm aware of. Maybe you've got numbers in there, but I think it really depends on what you're looking that, you know, I'm laughing.

[Marcus Mosher]

Because I, I went and I did some research on like the corners that are expected to get the most money in free agency and the top two names are Nayshaan Wright and Chittebeau Wuzier. That's just, I thought that was really funny.

[Landon McCool]

Well, you know, this, listen and that's, you know, and like here's, that's been the other part of the problem for the Cowboys too is that they've, they've drafted extremely well at the position and they've developed some of these guys. But the problem is, is that they're late bloomers. Like they end up, you know, going off, going to two more teams and them being great a la to various ward and nature on right and Shinobi Aw and you know, so yeah, but I, I think the Cowboys are, are in an interesting, interesting spot because of, you know, the change of defensive coordinator because of the kind of lack of a top end talent that you're going to be able to probably go out and get in in this off season at corner. It's going to be interesting to see how they solve this problem. And, and is it a situation where you're probably going to get maybe another two cornerback twos and then try to just, you know, play heady football and attack it, attack the situation more with pass rush?

[Marcus Mosher]

I'm not opposed to the Cowboys drafting a corner in round one. There are some really talented players and I'm mostly joking about McCoy, the, the cornerback from Tennessee. He is an awesome player. It does worry you a little bit, a corner that hasn't played football all year who's coming back from an acl. But I do think the free agent route is probably the way to go. And honestly I think they could just, just sign two guys and maybe they're two lower level guys that aren't big names, are not guys that, you know, would move the needle or anything like that. But you need guys that can come in here and just play because we're talking about like Ready Stewart, Savon Revel and Kayn Carson could potentially be your cornerbacks for like all offseason, like all the workouts. You need guys that can come in right now and give you quality play. And I know rock you Sin and Amik Robertson don't move the needle. But those are guys that have played a lot of snaps in the NFL. That's probably what you're gonna have to do is patch this thing together and maybe, hopefully you hit on somebody late.

[Landon McCool]

Well, let's remember what we're talking about here too, because the defensive back and cornerback in general, it's, it's, it's, it's a weakling system, right? It's, it's not about necessarily. I mean, it's, there is a benefit to having a top end cornerback. One, absolutely. It, what you can do with those guys changes the shape of your defense. But if you're trying to get a spot to have a good defense, you don't necessarily have to have the top end elite cornerback, but you have to have a nice floor, right? You have to have a good collection of talent to, to, to, to match up to multiple guys. So you don't have necessarily a weak link for a good offense to, to pick on, right? So I don't disagree with you. Like, if you go out and sign two guys that you feel comfortable with that are just, you know, veteran average NFL cornerbacks, I think it at least raises the floor to the point where you're not concerned about getting murdered each week in the passing game. And I think that's ultimately what we're talking about. If you need to kind of lean into the pass rush a little bit more because maybe you've got some stock there already in Ezraku, maybe you can bring back Fowler or maybe you can go off and get a couple more veterans that, that's maybe a little bit easier to procure or maybe it's easier to generate through scheme then it. I think it's an acceptable solution this off season to go and get just kind of a floor raising collection of cornerbacks as opposed to, I don't know what trading away assets to try to go get somebody else's number one.

[Marcus Mosher]

I don't think you want to do that. I think you try to sign guys that maybe would fit your style. Like I'm looking at somebody like Greg Newsome who the Browns traded to Jacksonville. He's been okay in Jacksonville. Maybe he gets like a 2 year 12 million dollar deal. Just do that and try to get some guys in here that can give you league average cornerback play because you're going to have a lot of needs in this defense. And a corner is historically one of the one of the positions that takes the longest to develop. Well, if we're talking about the Cowboys being in a window, I don't know if it's a championship window but a window in 2026 and 2027. I don't know if two rookie corners is the way to go. Now Philadelphia pulled that off with Cooper De Jean and Quinyan Mitchell, but those are two awesome players to fell to them at their respective spots. We'll see.

[Landon McCool]

I think there's an interesting conversation to have, maybe not today about the effect of NIL and the transfer portal and how it potentially shrinks the curve a little bit for some of these players coming into the NFL because they're a little bit more used to going to multiple systems. The way that the colleges are being run now is more NFL. Like maybe that's a conversation for a future day. I it's a good point. Overall, I think it's tough to kind of rely on Rookie Cornerbacks Year 1 if you're trying to make a championship run.

[Marcus Mosher]

So we'll see what the Cowboys do at the cornerback room. It's not like this was unexpected. We've been talking for a couple months now. That looks like they were actually we even said this when the Cowboys, you know, signed Trayvon or sorry, when they signed to Ron Bland is you knew that this was coming and you knew about a year ago that they were going to have to make a decision on Duron Bland or Trayvon Diggs. They made their decision on Bland. It's been evident for a while and now we'll see how the Cowboys build around him next. All right, let's talk about a week 18 rooting guy. We we've we're rooting for other teams to lose this weekend to hopefully help the Cowboys draft positioning. We'll get to that next. This is Tyler Rollin from the Locked on Titans podcast. This message is a paid partnership with Apple Card. I love how simple it is to pay using Apple Card with Apple Pay. It's built right into my iPhone so it's always ready to go. I was on vacation recently. I didn't even have to bring my wallet to the beach. Plus I earned up to 3% daily cash back on every purchase when I use my Apple Card with Apple Pay. Apply for Apple Card in the Wallet app on your iPhone subject to credit approval and Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA Salt Lake City Branch terms and more at applecard.com Guys, thanks.

[Landon McCool]

For helping me carry my Christmas tree. Zoe. This thing weighs a ton. Drew, Ski lift with your legs, man. Santa.

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Santa, did you get my letter?

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Right Santa? You know my elf Drew here, he.

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[Marcus Mosher]

Visit t mobile.com. Welcome back to the Lock on Cowboys podcast. We'd like to thank you for making us your first listen every single day. Later, let's talk about the draft order because we recorded our show about the Cowboys tanking prior to the Monday Night Football game. The Rams changes Things Getting a 12 top 13 pick with the Rams. With the Rams losing and the Falcons winning, the Falcons currently sit at 7 9. They play the Saints this weekend, which means if the Falcons win, the Cowboys could actually jump all the way up to pick number 11 with a loss. So I thought we should go through some of the games that we are rooting for and I'll try to go slow so you guys can kind of mark some of these down. But we're. You're rooting for the Buccaneers to beat the Panthers. You are obviously rooting for the Giants to beat the Cowboys. You're rooting for the Falcons to beat the Saints, the Bengals to beat the Browns, the Colts to beat the Texans. You're rooting for the Vikings to beat the Packers. And we should mention in that game there's a chance the packers bench a lot of starters because they're locked into the seventh seed. It has no impact on what the Cowboys do with the, the packers first round pick. That's all going to be determined by the playoffs. But there's a chance that the Vikings could jump the Cowboys in the draft order. You're rooting. Then you're rooting for the Dolphins to beat the Patriots. Same thing. The Patriots could be resting starters. The, the, the, the Lions to beat the Bears. I think the Lions will. The Bears are likely resting starters. And then the final one is the Raven Steeler game. You're rooting for the Ravens to beat the Steelers. So they could be ahead of or behind the Cowboys in the draft order. And then finally, just depending on who you want to play next year, the Cowboys will play the second place team in the AFC North. If you would prefer that to be the Steelers, root for the Ravens. If you want it to be the Ravens root for the Steelers. There you go.

[Landon McCool]

It's quite, quite a list. Yeah, it's crazy too, you know, because It's a week 18 list of games. And, and you know, the, a lot of teams are kind of looking at their angles a lot like we've talked about with the Cowboys, right. About who they should start, who they should play. This is obviously the week in which the, the percentage of normal starters play the, the smallest amount of snaps, I would imagine. So yeah. Any one of these kind of games, even if it seems unlikely, could potentially happen just because of all the shifting sands of, of roster management that's happening in week 18.

[Marcus Mosher]

The other thing I wanted to mention is if you look at the teams that are drafting around Dallas right now, so that would be Tampa Bay, Detroit, the Rams, Baltimore, Minnesota and the Jets. Now the jets, they have the Colts pick. The jets are going to draft the quarterback probably with their first pick. Those are all teams that have significant needs on defense and a lot of them have significant needs in their, you know, their front four with the pass rushers, and that's where we talk about how big one loss can be. That might be the difference. If you're drafting at 11, you might get Reuben Bane, but at 18, you might get the fifth edge rusher off the board. It's a big deal because all most of those teams, Detroit, Tampa Bay, Baltimore, they all have their quarterback. They're all going to be drafting defense. It's really important that the Cowboys try to make sure they're drafting ahead of those squats.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah. You know, and like you said, it's not even just numbers on a board or, or pick 12 versus pick 16. It's the players that get picked in those spots by those guys. And, and as you said, like, if they have all similar needs, it, it's kind of a reverse race. Right. Until I get to the, to the top by, you know, getting to the bottom. So, yeah, I, I think it's important to, to, for the Cowboys to hopefully not get behind all of those guys in the draft order because, yeah, it could be a very brutal, you know, draft night watching pick after pick of defensive players, especially at the position that you're looking to draft, coming off the board right after you right before you pick.

[Marcus Mosher]

A couple other little things. If Baltimore beats Pittsburgh, the Cowboys will draft ahead of them no matter what. So right now, the lowest the Cowboys could pick is 18. Again, if Pittsburgh were to, if Baltimore were to be Pittsburgh, that automatically moves you to 17. Regardless of what happens in your game. Your range would be between 11 and 17. There's a couple other ones in there. Detroit, Baltimore, or. Sorry, Detroit. And Minnesota. Minnesota again. They're going to be playing all their starters. I think Detroit's playing all their starters. Those are the big ones because they, those are going to move you up regardless of what happens with the Cowboys. So really keep an eye on those games because we could live if the Cowboys beat the Giants. But the Ravens, the Lions and the Vikings all win. You're drafting at like 15. That's what. I think that's an acceptable outcome here.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, absolutely. All right, let's, let's talk about one more thing before we get out of here about the draft. What would you put the odds or, or percentages or however you want to frame this at The Cowboys trade back with one of these picks to collect extra picks. We got this in our DM group. We've been talking about this. I just wanted to bring this into the conversation.

[Marcus Mosher]

My bet is it's not the first, first round pick. The top 18 pick. Yeah, I think it's going to be that packers pick and hopefully it's at like 20 or 21. But my guess is they trade down from 21 to like 2930 and they try, they pick up maybe it's a third and fourth in that range.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, that makes some sense. I wouldn't be shocked if they've already started fielding teams that are saying hey, we may be interested in trading if anyone wants to come up because they know that they are missing those picks.

[Marcus Mosher]

And I wouldn't even be surprised if like the idea is hey, let's try to pick up a third round pick because that's where we want to grab a running back to pair with Javante Williams who we resigned. Or that's the range that we feel like we can get a another linebacker to add to the room. So Totally agree. All right, that is it for today's show. We want to thank you for making lot done Cowboys your first listen every single day. Download the podcast wherever you get your podcast. We are free and available on all platforms. Follow Landon on Twitter acoolbcb. I'm at Marcus Underscore Mosher. Check out the everyday club. Just $5 a month for ad free episodes. Check out the link in the show notes. Go to locked on cowboys.supercast.com and we'll see you right back here tomorrow. This is the exclusive table with the view.

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