The San Francisco 49ers are hurting on defense right now, and the Dallas Cowboys may have just thrown them a lifeline. Dallas just waived cornerback Trevon Diggs, which could open the door for him to join the Niners in the playoffs.
Diggs is now on waivers, which means a team could claim him and would be responsible for the roughly $500,000 left on his contract this season.
But if he goes unclaimed, that means he would be a free agent and any team could sign him.
This would potentially be a great late Christmas present from the Cowboys and would be a surprising bit of generosity from a longtime hated rival.
Anyone who watched San Francisco's defense last week against the Chicago Bears knows the Niners could use some help on defense. Their pass rush is completely ineffective at getting pressure on the quarterback, which puts the secondary in a tough spot.
Deommodore Lenoir has been solid at cornerback, and the rookie Upton Stout has done well at nickel, but Darrell Luter Jr. has looked outmatched at times filling in for the injured Renardo Green.
Why not bring in Diggs to see if he can bring anything to the table?
Back in 2021, he was arguably the best cornerback in football as he had 11 interceptions on the season and made first-team All-Pro. He earned another Pro Bowl nod in 2022, but since then, it has been more of a struggle.
He has dealt with injuries and has not been his former self since tearing his ACL in 2023. In eight games this season, he has no picks and no passes defended.
But with the defense reeling and in need of answers, it may not be the worst idea to take a chance on Diggs. Maybe he could be the answer in the secondary.
Of course, other playoff teams may be having the exact same thought. The Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, and Green Bay Packers could all use some help in the secondary as well, so the 49ers may have some competition if they are interested in Diggs.
They already signed veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks, so they are willing to scoop up veterans who have been let go or are seemingly not wanted by other teams.
The Niners need to do everything they can to try and shore up their porous defense, so signing Diggs seems like a no-brainer.