After yet another disastrous season that resulted in another 4-13 record, the New England Patriots are hoping to be a competitive football team this upcoming campaign. With Mike Vrabel becoming the Patriots' third head coach in the last three years, the Patriots have already made several changes to accommodate Vrabel’s vision for his team.
The Patriots have used their league-leading cap space to fill holes on both sides of the ball, most notably upgrading the defense through free agency with the signings of Milton Williams, Harold Landry III, Carlton Davis III, and Robert Spillane. They will enter the NFL Draft with a glaring need for a starting left tackle and receiver.
Although the Patriots are looking for another playmaker, they're hoping that newly signed receiver Stefon Diggs can be the top receiving option for Drake Maye, but the team must be patient with Diggs as he recovers from ACL surgery.
Patriots Must Be Patient With Stefon Diggs
Patriots fans rejoiced on March 25th when the team signed star wide receiver Stefon Diggs to a three-year, $69 million deal. Diggs is coming off his lone season with the Houston Texans, where he posted 47 receptions, 496 yards, and one touchdown in eight games before going down with a torn ACL.
Diggs, who’ll turn 32 on November 29, joins a New England team that hasn’t had a receiver reach 1,000 receiving yards since Julian Edelman in 2019. In his ten-year career, Diggs has surpassed the 1K mark six times.
He joins an offense that was among the worst in the league last season, ranking 30th in points (17) and 32nd in passing yards (176.2) per game. Just off his name and prior production with the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings, Diggs slides in as the best receiver on the Patriots.
Fans should be excited to see Diggs on the field, but they shouldn’t put expectations too high, as it’ll be tough to predict how he’ll perform coming off a torn ACL. There’s an old saying that players are better in their second-year post-surgery rather than in their first, as they won’t spend the offseason rehabbing the injury.
For Diggs’ age, it raises concerns whether he can return to the same level of play he was before the injury, and we won’t know the full extent of the injury's impact on his game until September.
One notable player who tore his ACL is Julian Edelman, who tore his ACL in the 2017 season when he was 31. Although Edelman hurt his ACL in the preseason, he came back the next season like the same player, posting 74 receptions, 850 yards, and six touchdowns in 12 games.
With reports of Diggs set to be ready for Week 1, it gives Patriots fans excitement for what’s to come for Diggs, as he’s a versatile receiver who can line up anywhere on the field. But fans must be patient with him, as it may take a few weeks into the season to be his dominant self.