Ever since Trevon Diggs became a Dallas Cowboy, he has not had anyone with the kind of talent and game knowledge playing opposite of him that Stephon Gilmore has. Do you think Diggs' competitive nature, along with what he can learn from Gilmore, will push him to be better? I could see Diggs wanting to prove to everyone that he is the best cornerback on the team, which will make the Dallas secondary all that much better. What do you guys think? – Mark Somma/Winchester, VA
Nick Eatman: I believe in the "iron sharpens iron" theory. In this case, I see no reason why Gilmore can't make Diggs better. But more than anything, I think it's going to be the other way around. Diggs has been outstanding in three seasons with average to solid cornerbacks on one side. We'll see what Gilmore still has left in the tank but I'm going to assume he's the best cornerback Diggs will have on the other side of him. With that, I think Gilmore might be able to have one of his better seasons in a while. Just remember this, the quarterback has to throw the ball somewhere and he certainly won't have long to do it. So one way or another, they should help each other but I'm seeing Diggs making Gilmore better more than anything.
Patrik: This knife will swing both ways and end up slicing through many an opposing wide receiver. For one, you can bet the presence of Gilmore will make Diggs better, and in two ways. First, the level of competition has now risen tremendously in the CB room as far as boundary corners go, and both Diggs and Gilmore will be locked in a friendly competition to see who can make the most big plays. Second, Gilmore will help Diggs reach another level by mentoring him at the same time he's challenging him — the latter being as eager to learn from the former as the former is to teach (and also learn from) the latter. It's also key to note that while Diggs has never had a CB2 like Gilmore to tandem with, the same is true of Gilmore, who has never once played opposite a cornerback like Diggs (J.C. Jackson in 2020 being the closest comparison); and so that means Diggs could arguably make Gilmore better as well. Hey, quarterbacks "have to throw the ball somewhere", amirite?
