The New England Patriots already landed a star wide receiver in free agency with Stefon Diggs, agreeing to a three-year deal worth $69 million and with $26 million in guaranteed money. Although he’ll be returning from a torn ACL, Diggs is poised to be the No. 1 receiver for New England this season.
That said, it’s still unclear if Diggs will be available for Week 1 or if he’ll start the season on IR or the PUP list. Regardless of what injured list he may or may not end up on, do the Pats have enough depth at the wide receiver position behind Diggs to get by if he does end up missing the start of the season?
During a recent press conference prior to practice, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was asked if he thinks there’s enough talent at certain positions and if there’s a need to bring in more depth to make the team better, and if they’re monitoring players in that aspect.
"I think that should go for every position on the roster. … I think we have to. The ability to acquire good players, good people that feel like I can help us at any position. I don’t know what those situations are throughout the league, but I’m all for trying to make the roster better any chance that we can."Mike Vrabel on adding to the roster
There’s a new potential trade option hovering over the Patriots with the Washington Commanders for Pro Bowl wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who’s been in a disagreement over contract negotiations since March.
McLaurin, who’s going to be 30 years old when the season starts, is entering the final year of his deal and wants a new contract. He also didn’t attend the team’s OTAs or mandatory minicamp, reported by Ian Rappaport.
McLaurin is a true X-receiver who worked well with a rookie quarterback in Jayden Daniels last season and became his favorite target. He finished with 82 receptions for 1,096 yards and scored a career-high 13 touchdowns.
It was the fifth consecutive season that McLaurin eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards, which is impressive considering that he’s had six quarterbacks and five offensive coordinators during his career with Washington.
What Does Terry McLaurin Offer the Patriots?
If the Patriots were to acquire McLaurin, it’s safe to say that he wouldn’t be impeding anyone because New England currently doesn’t have a true X that’ll line up out wide for every play.
Now, this would slide Diggs inside, which is where he’s more accustomed to playing at this point in his career. In 2024, 43 percent of his routes were from the slot position, putting him in motion and utilizing his crafty route tree to get open, according to ESPN.
With Diggs sliding inside, this shouldn’t necessarily leave DeMario Douglas off the field, as he’s the expected starting slot receiver. The Patriots have historically been successful with two slot receivers and an X on the field when Josh McDaniels is the offensive coordinator.
The same can be said for rookie third-round wide receiver Kyle Williams, who’s likely going to have a role in his first season. Williams’ skill set allows him to line up as an X, Z, or as a slot, but with the way the depth chart looks, Williams would likely be used as an X more often than not in New England.
The addition of McLaurin would give quarterback Drake Maye two veteran receivers who know how to work the field to add to his arsenal in his second year in the NFL with a mastermind of an offensive coordinator in McDaniels.
As for what it would take to acquire McLaurin in a trade, it might only be a second-round pick and an additional player. The player could be another wide receiver, considering New England has too many to have on the 53-man roster at this time, but it depends on what Washington is looking for in return.
It’s worth mentioning that if Diggs starts the season on IR, the addition of McLaurin would make things a little smoother during the time that Diggs takes to recover.
It’s also worth mentioning that McLaurin is going to be 30 years old this season and wants to receive a large contract for what he brings to the field. And although New England has the money, will they be willing to pay another wide receiver in his 30s big money?