LANDOVER, MARYLAND - DECEMBER 25: Trevon Diggs #7 of the Dallas Cowboys looks on prior to a game against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium on December 25, 2025 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
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Trevon Diggs #7 of the Dallas Cowboys
The Minnesota Vikings have spent years hunting longterm improvements to the secondary, and this offseason is no different, as defensive backs continue to dominate projections for the team’s first-round pick (No. 18 overall) in April.
But even if Minnesota selects Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman in that spot, as ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and the so many other analysts have predicted in recent days and weeks, the cornerback position remains a concern.
Isaiah Rodgers fell out of his starting role down the stretch of the regular season after a hot start to the 2025 campaign, with safety Jay Ward moving over to cornerback simply to fix the team’s issues with effective tackling across the third level of the defense.
The Vikings have a need at the CB position and a history of inking veterans on short-term, plug-and-play deals to fill that particular void. Patrick Peterson stepped in during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, while Stephon Gilmore spent 2024 in Minnesota.
Two-time Pro Bowler Trevon Diggs, who will play next season at 29 years old, is a free agent after the Dallas Cowboys cut him late last year. He joined the Green Bay Packers for Week 18 and their first-round playoff loss to the Chicago Bears, but has not re-signed there as of yet.
Diggs is coming off of a five-year, $97 million contract extension he inked in July 2023 and needs to rebuild his value if he hopes to land another big payday before his time in the NFL is spent. Minnesota and defensive coordinator Brian Flores could offer him an interesting opportunity to do exactly that, as their budget renders the Vikings a fit for a flier on a talented DB with upside.
Trevon Diggs Dubbed ‘Underrated’ Option After 2 Weeks of Free Agency
Trevon Diggs Stats
GettyFormer Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs.
Alex Kay of Bleacher Report recently dubbed Diggs among the “most underrated” players still available on the market heading into the third week of free agency.
“Diggs is looking like one of the best buy-low candidates on the market this offseason. The veteran cornerback may have flamed out with the Dallas Cowboys, but Diggs is only a few years removed from being one of the NFL’s best players at his position,” Kay wrote. “A fresh start could be exactly what Diggs needs to return to form.”
Injury issues have proven a repetitive problem for Diggs, as he has played in just 22 games while missing 29 contests over the three years since inking his monster extension in Dallas. But a healthy Diggs could prove a short-term boon to the Vikings’ defense, which finished third overall in 2025 despite a lack of high-end cornerback play.
Spotrac projects Diggs’ market value at just $7.5 million over one year, which equates to a low-risk play for a team in Minnesota without a lot of money to spend and four draft picks inside the top 100 to add inexpensive talent at positions of need, such as center, defensive tackle, the No. 3 wide receiver spot and potentially both cornerback and safety in the secondary.
Analysts Continue Linking Vikings to Oregon Safety Dillon Thieneman in NFL Draft
Dillon Thieneman #31 of the Oregon Ducks could be a Dallas Cowboys draft target
GettySafety Dillon Thieneman of the Oregon Ducks.
Minnesota could certainly do worse in its attempt to improve the secondary than to add Diggs on a value contract in free agency and select longtime safety Harrison Smith’s potential replacement in Thieneman in the middle of next month’s first round.
“We still don’t know whether 37-year-old Harrison Smith will keep playing (and if so, whether he’ll return to Minnesota as a free agent),” Kiper wrote. “In a division with Caleb Williams, Jordan Love and Jared Goff, this has to be a priority at the draft regardless of whether Smith is back for Year 15.”
“I had Thieneman to the Vikings in my last mock draft,” Kiper continued. “He reminds me a lot of Smith in the way he reads the QB and reacts in a flash. I could see defensive coordinator Brian Flores getting creative with Thieneman, lining him up all over the formation and letting him use his great ball skills to pile up takeaways.”