Two defensive backs projected to sign with Washington Commanders

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network admitted he wouldn't be surprised to see "fireworks" from the Washington Commanders given the cap space available coupled with a top-ten selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. And with a long list of needs, the Commanders were linked to a pair of defenders with free agency less than one month away.

Greg Auman of FOX Sports projected former Pittsburgh safety Kyle Dugger and Dallas/Green Bay cornerback Trevon Diggs to ink with the Commanders this offseason.

Duggar arrived in Pittsburgh after a midseason trade with the New England Patriots involving a pair of seventh round picks exchanged. Prior to his time with the Steelers, he started in 69 of his 81 career games where he notched nine interceptions, three defensive touchdowns and over 400 total tackles. Despite being named a team captain for the Patriots in 2024, Duggar took advantage of a fresh start in Pittsburgh where he went on to post a pair of interceptions after stepping into the starting rotation.

Whether the Steelers opt to bring Duggar back under new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, who was among the candidates for the Commanders defensive coordinator job, ramming to be seen with some pointing to the experienced safety as a priority in free agency.

Of course, how aggressive the Commanders will be at safety could be contingent on how the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft goes with Caleb Downs out of Ohio State a realistic target.

But the other name is the one much more well known to Commander fans given Trevon Diggs is the younger brother of Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs who played his high school ball at The Avalon School in Gaithersburg, MD. Of course, Trevon also became a familiar name after his six seasons in Dallas where he overlapped three seasons with Dan Quinn, then the defensive coordinator for the Cowboys. After dazzling through his first two seasons in the league where he first led his team, then the league, in interceptions, but he tore his ACL in his fourth season that led to him battling back to full strength in 2024.

Diggs is also coming off a rocky 2025 season where he opened training camp recovering from injury, electing to rehab away from the team facility before being fined by Jerry Jones. It became a recurring injury for Diggs after battling knee issues midway through the season, while he also suffered a concussion ahead of the week seven matchup against the Commanders, leading him to be placed on injured reserve. After weeks of uncertainty and confusion about his availability toward the end of the regular season, Diggs' tenure with the Cowboys ended ahead of 2026 after the team waived him, leading the Green Bay Packers to sign him for the remainder of the 2025 season to pair him back up with Micah Parsons, his close friend in Dallas.

Now available again looking to find a new home for the 2026 season, whether Trevon Diggs can return to full form on the field, coupled with continued questions about off the field from Cowboys ownership, makes him as arguably the more questionable of the fit among the two free agents linked to Washington.

Auman also projected Von Miller to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders, Bobby Wagner and Marcus Mariota to sign with the Los Angeles Rams while picking Deebo Samuel to land with the Los Angeles Chargers.