Will the Patriots New Star Receiver Deliver the Impact They’re Seeking?
The Patriots finally went out and got themselves a serious wide receiver in free agency with the acquisition of Stefon Diggs. For the past several years, the Patriots have been devoid of a true difference-maker at the wide receiver position. This positional hole was extremely evident last year as the rookie, Drake Maye, had no dependable go-to wide receiver. With the Patriots signing the four-time Pro Bowler, can Stefon Diggs be the spark that Drake Maye and this Patriots’ offense have been hoping for?
Firstly, let’s look at Stefon Diggs’ past few seasons. Since 2020, Diggs has been to the Pro Bowl every year, except last year due to his season-ending ACL tear. During those Pro Bowl years, Diggs averaged over 1,300 yards and over nine touchdowns per season. Despite his amazing production, several teams have parted ways with him because he consistently complained about not getting the ball enough. Although this may be a problem on some teams that have other prominent receiving threats, the Patriots don’t really have any, so Diggs could easily step in and get targeted over 150 times this upcoming season.
When looking at this signing for the Patriots organization as a whole, bringing in Diggs makes a lot of sense. You get a receiver that will command a lot of attention and should help develop your young quarterback for the next few years. The biggest potential problem with bringing in Diggs is that he could clash with the New England culture that traditionally does wide receiver by committee and rarely features only one premier wide receiver. Additionally, his contract is for three years, and with him coming off an ACL tear at age 31, we could see him having a steep fall off from the receiver he has been in previous years. With all that said, New England needed to bring in a standout receiver, and Diggs certainly fits that criteria. If Diggs can stay healthy, and Drake Maye can feed him the ball early and often, this signing could really provide a spark to an offense that felt like it was sleepwalking last year.
