Acquiring Trevon Diggs doesn't solve the Green Bay Packers' problems in the secondary, but it helps.
Diggs is a playmaker but vulnerable in coverage. He offers experience but has missed significant time due to injury. He made two Pro Bowls and a first-team All-Pro, but allowed a perfect passer rating in eight games this season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Diggs is the definition of an all-or-nothing player – he might make a pick-six in a crucial game or give up a 60-yard touchdown. But it's far from a boom-or-bust move for the Packers. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Packers' move for Trevon Diggs has almost no risk, but huge upside
According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the Packers were the only team to place a waiver claim on Diggs. Yes, there's the risk of up-and-down performances, but in NFL money terms, they are getting him for almost nothing.
Initially, the idea of taking on the remainder of his $97 million contract sounds like a reckless mistake, but it's really not. As ESPN's Rob Demovsky notes, there is no guaranteed money remaining on his deal. The Packers will pay Diggs $470,000 this week, which, in salary-cap terms, is the equivalent of loose change, and they can release him in the offseason without paying anything in dead cap.
The upside? A change of scenery helps Diggs rediscover his best form. He's a former Pro Bowler, after all, and now reunites with Packers passing game coordinator Derrick Ansley, who recruited him to Alabama.
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Diggs also reunites with Micah Parsons. The two won't play together this season, but they are close friends, and Parsons can help Diggs quickly feel comfortable in a new locker room.
Green Bay needs a jolt in the secondary. The team just lost Nate Hobbs and Kamal Hadden to injury. Carrington Valentine appears to be on thin ice after his tackling issues landed him on the bench last week. Not only does Diggs offer experience, but he could also provide takeaways.
The 2020 second-round pick may never play significant snaps for the Packers, and that's OK. Without him, this defense was an injury away from Bo Melton or Shemar Bartholomew starting at cornerback. They have a combined 17 defensive snaps in the NFL. Diggs has 63 starts to his name, making 63 pass defenses and 20 interceptions in his career.
The harsh reality is that Green Bay's secondary isn't playing at a high level. Diggs might not fix the problem, but he's unlikely to make it any worse. He is capable of providing average cornerback play while also offering the ball skills the Packers' cornerbacks lack.
Throw it too close to him, and he'll make quarterbacks pay. All it takes is one moment in the playoffs, and it could be the difference between the Packers advancing or facing elimination.
And if it doesn't work out, Green Bay can move on without any financial concerns. It's truly a no-lose situation. The Packers saw an opportunity the rest of the league missed.