Trevon Diggs deletes Twitter due to 'toxic' training camp reactions

By David Helman
FOX Sports Dallas Cowboys Writer

OXNARD, Calif. — Trevon Diggs has had enough of the bird app. 

There's no playground for training camp quite like Twitter, that special social media platform with the deceivingly cute bird for a logo. 

As any savvy veteran knows, Twitter is where 10-second video clips of training go to become training camp narratives. Such was the case for Diggs last week, when clips of him losing practice reps to CeeDee Lamb and Simi Fehoko went viral.

The response from the world of armchair coaches and footwork experts was enough to prompt Diggs to deactivate his Twitter account — a decision he explained succinctly. 

"It's toxic," he said. "I usually don't be on Twitter a lot, but I'm in camp. I'm trying to focus, trying to lock in and just be better every day."

This is the epicenter on a unique debate about Diggs. He led the NFL with 11 interceptions last season, which was good enough to see him named first-team All-Pro. Even so, there are many in the NFL community who see his aggressive play style and say he surrenders too many yards to be considered one of the game's best corners. 

It's a debate that hasn't stopped since last season, and it only figures to intensify this fall, as it will be Diggs' final season before he's eligible to negotiate an extension. 

Asked about the scrutiny on Monday, Diggs said he understands that it's part of the job. 

"I feel like that comes with it. Hate comes with success," he said. "I don't put it past nobody. Everyone is obligated to their own opinion. All I can do is control what I can control on the field and let my play speak for myself." 

All of that said, that doesn't mean he wants to look at those opinions in his downtime. 

"I can't respond to everybody, I can't reply to everybody, so I'd rather say nothing at all and just perform on the field," Diggs said.

The Cowboys worked through a padded practice on Monday afternoon. Here are some highlights from the field.

Competition coming

The Cowboys' kickers had themselves a solid afternoon on Monday — but is it coming a tad too late? 

Lirim Hajrullahu and Jonathan Garibay both had strong practices. Hajrullahu was perfect on eight kicks, and Garibay went a respectable 6-of-8, which is a marked improvement of previous outings. Both guys nailed their opportunity in a pressure moment, as they both connected on 40-yarders at the end of the team's two-minute drill.

Despite that, team officials confirmed Monday evening that they'll work out four kickers on Tuesday. The names to know are Brett Maher, Cole Murphy, Matt Ammendola and J.J. Molson. Maher is obviously a familiar name, as he served as the Cowboys' kicker in 2018 and 2019 with mixed results. 

"We just want to see what's out there and get a look at the best available kickers that are out there," said Cowboys vice president of player personnel Will McClay. 

It's just a workout, so no roster moves needs to be made yet. But it'll be interesting to see how eager the Cowboys are to make a move with either of the two kickers on the roster right now. 

Rookie spotlight 

If you're not familiar with the name Markquese Bell, it's probably time to learn it. 

We've known the undrafted safety out of Florida A&M was a guy to watch since the spring, when the front office gave him $200,000 guaranteed to sign in Dallas. That's an astronomical number for a guy who didn't hear his name called during the 2022 NFL Draft. 

The thing is, the 6-foot-2, 212-pound rookie continues to show why the Cowboys were so intrigued. For starters, that frame gives him the flexibility to play multiple roles in this defense, similar to incumbent starter Jayron Kearse. 

And if you think that sounds like an exaggeration, hear it from defensive coordinator Dan Quinn himself.

"What I've seen so far is somebody that can handle multiple roles, and I do feel like he has the speed and length to play two spots in our defense, both on the back end at safety and down closer to the line of scrimmage as a linebacker," Quinn said.

On Monday, Quinn gave Bell the opportunity to showcase his ability with the starters. The rookie even managed to make a standout play, batting down a pass Dak Prescott had intended for Sean McKeon. Bell did allow that he might take the opportunity to talk some smack to the franchise quarterback, but he said he's just trying to make the most of any chance he's given. 

"It means a lot to me that I can just be out here, even if I'm going with the twos or the threes," he said. "I'm in the NFL, practicing against NFL players — regardless of what position they play or where they are on the depth chart."

Looking sharp 

The irony is that the coaching staff was looking for an excuse to have their kickers try a game-winning field goal, but that had to wait until the second-string took the field. 

Dak Prescott enjoyed arguably his best session of training camp on Monday during the two-minute drill that wrapped up practice. The coaches sent the starters onto the field around their own 25-yard line, trailing 14-12 in a game scenario that featured 1:36 to play and one timeout for the offense. 

Again, a field goal would have gotten the job done, but Prescott wasn't interested in leaving it up to the kickers. He guided the offense down the field to the opposing red zone by completing 6-of-7 passes, finding a variety of targets from CeeDee Lamb to Dalton Schultz to Tony Pollard. 

The lone incompletion came on a throwaway down inside the 10-yard line, as Prescott lofted the ball out of bounds when he saw his preferred read was well-covered. From there, with 16 seconds to play in the scenario, he floated a ball down the seam to a wide-open CeeDee Lamb for a go-ahead touchdown. 

The starting defense has given Prescott problems a lot at this camp, but he made Monday's two-minute work look lopsided. 

David Helman covers the Dallas Cowboys for FOX Sports, providing insight and analysis on the NFL’s most visible franchise. Prior to joining FOX, David spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team’s official website, DallasCowboys.com. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing "Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion" about the quarterback’s time at Mississippi State.