Respect Earned: 'Blessed' Seahawks S Quandre Diggs Relishes Third Consecutive Pro Bowl Nod

With just two interceptions so far, Quandre Diggs hasn't been quite as dominant in the secondary for the Seattle Seahawks as he was in 2020 and 2021. But coming off a scary injury, he has remained productive in his eighth season and as evidenced by a lack of targets as well as Pro Bowl votes, remains highly-regarded by his peers.

RENTON, Wash. - After coming up short as an alternate selection in 2018 and 2019, Quandre Diggs finally got over the proverbial Pro Bowl hump with the Seahawks in 2020, earning his first all-star selection while leading the eventual NFC West champions with five interceptions.

Even though he knew he wouldn't get to actually play in the Pro Bowl due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Diggs soaked up the special moment he felt he had earned in the previous two seasons. At that time, the former sixth-round pick out of Texas hadn't achieved a greater individual accomplishment in his NFL career and the honor was a culmination of all the hard work he had put in on the field to develop into one of the league's premier playmaking ball hawks.

Two years later, however, on the heels of Diggs earning his third consecutive Pro Bowl nod on Wednesday, that first selection no longer sits atop his personal mantle. Not after what the star safety endured and ultimately conquered this offseason recovering from a gruesome injury.

"The first one is special, the second one is cool, but when you come off something that I came off of, you guys have seen the videos, and it’s on the internet every day. People tag you in those things and you see those things, so you kind of look up and thank God that you are able to be out here and be able to play this game," Diggs said of his third Pro Bowl. "I have been blessed to play every snap and go out there and compete with my guys. Who would have thought in January that I would have been able to do that? This one is definitely special and definitely means more because knowing what I went through last offseason.”

Back in January, Diggs suffered a dislocated ankle and a fractured fibula in the fourth quarter of a Week 18 win over the Cardinals while tackling running back Eno Benjamin, bringing another fantastic season in which he had intercepted a team-high five passes to a devastating conclusion. It was an emotional scene in Glendale with teammates such as cornerback D.J. Reed dropping to their knees and unable to fight back tears for their fallen comrade as he was carted off the field.

Less than 10 minutes away from becoming an unrestricted free agent for the first time, the injury could not have come at a worse time for Diggs, who was set to hit the market as one of the top defenders available. Instead, with receiver Tyler Lockett also making the trip, he flew to Green Bay and had his ankle repaired by renowned surgeon Robert Anderson, putting his status heading into free agency in a bit of limbo.

"Never take your accomplishments for granted because I keep telling people that less than a year ago, I couldn’t walk," Diggs remarked. "You have to take all of that stuff and take it in stride. Sometimes you forget those things.”

Through it all, as evidenced by Lockett staying in Arizona and traveling to Green Bay for the surgery, the well-respected Diggs had a constant outpouring of support from teammates, players on other teams, and family. Dodging a bullet without any ligament damage in his ankle, he maintained a positive mindset and the Seahawks rewarded him for his outstanding play by signing him to a three-year, $40 million contract shortly after free agency opened in March.

By the time Seattle conducted mandatory minicamp in June, Diggs was close to 100 percent recovered, participating in walkthrough drills along with fellow safety Jamal Adams, who also was returning from an offseason procedure to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Two months later, he reported for the start of training camp and immediately jumped back into the starting lineup with plenty of spring in his step.

As noted by coach Pete Carroll on Thursday, Diggs' fourth season with the Seahawks hasn't always been smooth sailing coming back from the injury. Unlike previous seasons where he has been a football magnet, he has missed out on several interception opportunities, including letting an errant pass by 49ers rookie Brock Purdy bounce off his chest in a 21-13 loss in Week 15. Per Pro Football Focus, he has dropped four interceptions, tied for the most among safeties, and has also missed 11 tackles in 14 starts, tied for the second-most on the team.

Leading up to a Week 8 matchup with the Giants, Diggs admitted he may have been playing a bit hesitant earlier in the season coming off the ankle injury, which contributed to a somewhat slow start by his standards both in coverage and as a tackler.

But while Carroll acknowledged Diggs has left more plays on the field than usual, he still has had a stellar campaign and his leadership in a young secondary featuring two rookie starters in budding star Tariq Woolen and Coby Bryant has been invaluable, especially with Adams lost for the season to a torn quad in Week 1. For that reason, he isn't surprised to see Diggs join Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, and Kenny Easley as only the fourth safety in franchise history with three or more Pro Bowl selections.

“He’s played a really tough season. He keeps letting you know who he is by the way he knocks people around, the way he makes his plays," Carroll said of Diggs. "He has had an unfortunate run of not converting a few interceptions. He should have five or six [picks] easily right now. That’s crushing to him because he’s a ballhawk. He’s an interceptor and last week, we had a great one and two that we didn’t get, but he’s had a couple of overthrows. He’s had some shots at it. He should’ve had five or six like I said, which would’ve changed everyone’s perspective on everything. He’s our guy. He’s our leader back there and we need him.”

Even with his interception numbers being down compared to the past three seasons where he ranked among league leaders, Diggs has still been a viable center fielder locking up the back of Seattle's defense. According to PFF, he has allowed the fourth-fewest receptions (10) and third-lowest completion rate (52.6) in coverage among qualified safeties with at least 330 coverage snaps. He also ranks a respectable sixth in yards allowed (135) and ninth in passer rating (71.1).

On top of those quality numbers as a pass defender, Diggs ranks fourth on the Seahawks with 64 combined tackles and has added a pair of pressures and a quarterback hit on just five blitzing opportunities.

Though all of those statistics paint a different picture in regard to Diggs' play this season, nothing may be more telling about the respect opponents have for him than the general lack of targets in his direction. As has been the case ever since he arrived via trade from Detroit midway through the 2019 season, opposing quarterbacks rarely test the seams or throw post routes against the Seahawks because of No. 6's presence and he has only been targeted 19 times total.

That league-wide respect could be seen on social media with the rush of tweets and messages from players and coaches wishing him well after he suffered his injury 11 months ago. Much to the delight of a thankful Diggs, that respect also carried over into Pro Bowl voting with his peers showing their admiration by vaulting him into the top spot at free safety for a third straight year, something he will not take for granted after all that he overcame to return to the field last spring.

“Man, it feels good. It’s always good to be honored by fans and of course by my peers and coaches. For me, that’s the most important thing, the respect around the league. I don’t really care what everybody else has to say, it’s more of what guys see me do every week. Obviously, my peers feel a certain way about me, so I’m blessed.”

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