Exclusive: Quandre Diggs Sets Sights on NFL Comeback and Titans Link-Up with Cousin Cam Ward

Quandre Diggs is about to enter his 11th season playing in the National Football League and his passion for the game is why he wants to keep going. 

Diggs’ journey has taken him from Detroit to Seattle and most recently Tennessee. He’s currently a free agent and explains why reuniting with the Titans and playing with his cousin Cam Ward would be a dream come true.

FOOTBALL WAS A NATURAL FIT

Everything is bigger in Texas, especially when it comes to football. 

Diggs knew at a young age that he’d play at the highest level one day, telling his family, “I’m a football player. I’m going to make it to the NFL.” 

Eventually, he would do just that, but it’s his journey to the top that has made him one of the most real players in the league. What you see, is what you get.

Diggs grew up in a household filled with athletes. His mother Jan Hayes was star basketball player in high school, and she set the tone. But it was his half-brother and former NFL defensive back Quentin Jammer, who showed in real time what it would take to be a professional.

Diggs considers himself an “old soul,” so the 13-year gap between the two never seemed that large. Jammer was a standout athlete coming out of Angleton high school, going to play college football at the University of Texas.

That’s where Diggs spent a lot of time at a young age, learning from some of the best.

“Being in the locker rooms with my brother was cool, but hanging around with guys like Ricky Williams, Sean Rogers, Casey Hampton and Derek Johnson, that was pretty special," said Diggs.

One thing that always stands out during that time was building some of the basics with his brother’s roommate and Longhorns’ quarterback Major Applewhite.

“That's how I learned how to catch,” explained Diggs. 

“Major would literally make me go outside and run routes.”

Getting advice, having access to some of the best players in the game didn’t stop there. In 2002, Jammer was drafted fifth overall by the San Diego Chargers, and Diggs then found himself picking the brains of pros.

“I used to stay with LaDainian Tomlinson,” said Diggs. 

“Antonio Cromartie, Darren Sproles and Philip Rivers, those guys I literally grew up around, so when I got to the NFL playing against them, it was surreal.”

GETTING A FOOT IN THE DOOR, BREAKING IT DOWN

Diggs had a footprint to follow, but he carved his own path.

After a successful career at Angleton high school, playing both quarterback and safety, he’d decided to take his talent to Texas, just like his big brother. Of course, he knew that expectations were set high, but that wasn’t something he worried about.

Diggs was the Big-12’s Defensive Freshman of the Year and during his four-year career, he’d play in 52 games with 49 starts. His 37 career pass breakups also rank ninth all-time in Texas.

After college, Diggs prepared to take the next big step. Remember, his brother went early on in the first round, but God’s plan was different for him.

Draft day was different for Diggs. He had to wait until the in sixth round to hear his name called. That’s where the Detroit Lions took him 200th overall. He was grateful for the opportunity but falling that far gave him a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

“I remember the one thing my brother told me that day,” said Diggs. “I got my foot in the door, now I just need to kick the motherf***** down!”

That was some of the best advice Diggs would ever get in his life, and it would stick with him throughout his professional career.

GROWING FROM A PUP TO A LION

While it wasn’t as obvious in the moment, landing in Detroit would be the best thing for Diggs’ development. 

“They knew how good I was, and they knew what type of player they wanted me to be,” said Diggs. 

Jim Caldwell was the Lions’ head coach at the time. Diggs expressed what it was like being around him and that staff. 

“The coaches brought a certain demeanour to work every day. They didn’t curse, they just shot you straight,” explained Diggs.

It was all about technique early on and while giving rookies leniency wasn’t usually thing, Diggs had a different experience.

“They knew that I understood the game. They told me not to be just a playbook guy,” explained Diggs. 

“Play your game, make plays. That's what you do. I think that's what really helped me.”

It also helped being in a defensive backs room full of veterans.

Rahean Mathis, Nevin Lawson, Crezdon Butler and a young Darius Slay, just to name a few. All of these players had different niches, different ways of how they came into the league and that was appreciated by the young Diggs.

“They were all able to share their experiences with me and helped keep me in line. A lot of people know I'm a hot head,” explained Diggs. I came in angry because I was sixth round pick, but just being around those guys was beneficial, knowing they rocked with me.”

MAKING A HARD PIVOT

Diggs grew up as a player during his time with the Lions. He enjoyed his first few years in the organization, but during the last year and a half, his passion for the game started to fade.

Matt Patricia was now the head coach in Detroit, and that wasn’t something Diggs was happy about.

“It was just a dark place in my football life. I wasn't happy,” said Diggs.

Patricia and Diggs didn’t really see eye to eye. They had their difficulties, so at that point it was just doing everything to find a way out.                   

“I remember getting in the car, and I'm driving in traffic. I’m like, God, why can't I just go to a winning organization? I just want to have fun again,” Diggs told SportsBoom.com. 

The next day Diggs was traded to the Seattle Seahawks.

“I was taking a nap, and I see my agent is calling me, and I'm like, what's up? He was like, bro, they just traded you to Seattle,” explained Diggs.

It was hard to believe at first and the news spread fast. Diggs remembers the first teammate to reach out, quarterback Matthew Stafford.

“He was mad,” explained Diggs. “He's like, what are these guys doing?”

It would be tough leaving guys like Stafford and best friend Darius Slay, but the NFL is a business it doesn’t hit pause for anyone and with it being the middle of the 2019 season, things kept on moving. 

This would certainly be a hard pivot in his career, but the best was yet to come.

FINDING FUN IN THE GAME AGAIN

Moving from the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest would be different. Diggs admitted at first, he came in a little guarded. He arrived in Seattle, knowing that he was dealing with a strained hamstring.

And after seeing the MRI he thought they would trade him right back to Detroit. 

But that feeling of uneasiness didn’t last long. In his first meeting with head coach Pete Carroll, Diggs was assured right away that he was valued by the organization. 

“I literally remember sitting in Pete’s office. He told me how much I’d love it here,” said Diggs. 

“He told me to just forget about the past couple of years in Detroit. He said, just be yourself. Have fun, let loose.”

Football did become fun again and Diggs benefited from that becoming a 3x Pro-Bowler with the Seahawks, hauling in 14 interceptions over three seasons, starting in every game. 

Not only did Diggs play some of his best football in the Great Northwest, but he built relationships that will last forever.

He is still in group chats with his former Seattle teammates Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright, Jamal Adams, and Tyler Lockett. 

“I love y’all. Miss ya’ll. Those are my real brothers,” said Diggs.

It’s no secret, that group made the most of their time playing for the Seahawks. For Diggs it was the high of his career.

Getty Images / Ryan Kang

NEW FAMILY MEMBER IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Diggs finished up his time in Seattle in 2023 and signed a one-year contract with the Tennessee Titans.

He had interest from a few teams including San Francisco and Indianapolis but admits his wife Abby loved the idea of living in Nashville. 

He also was intrigued by the style of play defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson brought over from his time in Philadelphia and Baltimore. He was also excited to play with guys like defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons.

“I don’t get it why people get so mad about Jeff,” said Diggs. 

“They think just because he doesn’t have a ton of sacks that he’s not good. He’s so disruptive. I’m a big fan of his.”

Diggs and the defence got off to a good start, but his individual season was cut short after he a suffered a Lisfranc fracture injury in Week 9. 

During the rehab process, Diggs kept a close eye on what his cousin Cam Ward, who at the time, was the starting quarterback at the University of Miami. 

There is a nine-year age difference between Diggs and Ward, but the two have always had a close relationship

“I knew he was always a little different. He’s always been competitive as hell,” said Diggs.

He followed his cousin’s career at Columbia high school, but it’s when Cam got to Incarnate Word, he saw real potential for him play at the quarterback position. 

“When his dad (Calvin Ward) text me telling me that Cam won the starting job, I bought ESPN plus, just so I could watch his games, and he was killing it.”

He became even more invested when Ward ended up transferring to Washington State University after the 2021 season. Diggs was playing across the state, five hours away in Seattle and was getting plenty of updates.

“I had fun making bets with some of the Pac-12 guys in the locker room. I’ve been on board for a long time,” said Diggs. 

“I’m sure they got tired of me talking about Cam all the time, but I didn’t care.”

Diggs didn’t need to give his younger cousin much advice throughout his college career, but after Ward’s second season at WAZZU, he told Diggs he was going to declare for the NFL Draft. 

Diggs decided it might be time to share his thoughts on the situation.

“When Cam told me that, I reached out to several people in the league about where they could see him going in the draft. Nobody really had him as a first round pick, not even a second-round pick,” said Diggs. 

While it’s not ideally what his cousin wanted to hear, eventually Ward would make the smart decision to finish his career off in Miami.

“I told him, he can win at a place like Miami. He can be a legend forever,” said Diggs.

PLAYING WITH COUSIN CAM ISN’T TOO FAR FETCHED

The NFL is a small world, and it became even smaller when the Titans drafted Ward with number one overall pick in this year’s draft.

That was a special moment for the entire family and Diggs couldn’t help but thinking about the possibility of playing with his cousin in Tennessee.

Diggs is currently a free agent and says at this point of his career he doesn’t stress out about the process. 

He tells SportsBoom that he recently cleared medicals and is ready to find his next team. 

“It’s all going to work out. I know I can still play, and I want to play,” explained Diggs.

The question is, could that team be the Titans? Is that even realistic? Diggs thinks so.

“I still got some people in that building that would like me to be back in Tennessee,” said Diggs. 

Titans’ General Manager Mike Borgonzi and Vice President of Football Operations Chad Brinker both know how Diggs feels about a reunion in two-tone blue. 

“Obviously, I’m keeping my options open, but I would love to go back. I would love to be around my cousin,” Diggs told SportsBoom.com. 

The two talk every week, but to be in the same building for even one season would be something the two could talk about for the rest of the lives. 

“The whole goal for me was to play in the league with my brother. I missed that by just one year,” said Diggs.

Ward hasn’t showed any issue fitting in at the next level, but having his older cousin around for his rookie season would be special. And if any family deserves to see it play out like this, it’s this one.

“I wish that we could make it work. Our family is so close, and I don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to play with Cam,” Diggs concluded.