Stefon Diggs is thriving early in his first season with the Washington Commanders (nine receptions on 15 targets for 102 yards and three touchdowns through two games). And while I'm not going to say the New England Patriots should fully regret cutting him and choosing not to bring him back, the decision is looking a lot more difficult, given A.J. Brown's current injury and how not-so-great the offense has looked so far.
Moving on from Stefon Diggs was a risky move for the Patriots
New England mainly released Diggs for financial (and maybe legal) reasons, but he was still a big positive for the team last season (85 receptions on 102 targets, 1,013 yards, and four touchdowns), and he played a big role in Drake Maye's development. Keeping that continuity for a young quarterback is important, and it was risky for the Patriots to mess with that, especially since they ended up trading Kayshon Boutte in the offseason, too.
The 32-year-old isn't a clear-cut No. 1 receiver anymore, and he has a track record of essentially disappearing later in the season, but there were still reasons for the Patriots to keep him around/bring him back after releasing him. Granted, there was no way for them to plan for Brown sustaining a high-ankle sprain in the season opener, but it's obvious they would benefit from having him right now.
New England still has a great receiving room on paper (when healthy), and in the long run, the team should be fine without Diggs. But the offense is lacking right now (Maye hasn't had a legitimately good game since maybe the Wild Card game against the Los Angeles Chargers last season), and it's going to be a while before we see it reach its full potential.
Stefon Diggs would be a huge help to this Patriots team
Hypothetically, if Diggs were on this Patriots team, they would be in a much better spot right now. The absence of Brown wouldn't be as bad as it is; Romeo Doubs would more or less play the role he was signed for instead of having to take on a bigger load; and a lot of pressure would be off of guys like Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, Hunter Henry, the running game, and just about everyone else.
But instead, the Maryland native is showing out for his new team, and the Patriots' offense is still trying to find its groove.
It's a long season, and there are reasons to think New England will be able to turn things around, but that doesn't change the fact that the team took a big risk in the offseason with Diggs, and it's not looking great yet.
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