The Patriots are bringing in star receiver Stefon Diggs for a visit.
They want to see what Diggs, who is 31 and coming off ACL surgery, has left in the tank.
In short, they’re doing due diligence on the possibility of landing an actual No. 1 receiver, although given the circumstances, Diggs might not quite live up to that designation.
Good or bad idea?
Given the Patriots glaring need to improve the personnel around Drake Maye, and how they’ve failed to accomplish the mission thus far, it can’t hurt to investigate what Diggs has left to see if he can help the receiver room.
They should have been this engaged in pursuit of DK Metcalf and or Davante Adams, but that’s another story.
Diggs?
While he does have the reputation of being a diva, demanding the ball, and showing his displeasure if he doesn’t get it — not what Mike Vrabel is looking for — Diggs does fit the culture equation in other ways.
He’s tough, competitive, and has no problem going over the middle. Those are qualities Vrabel would love in his receivers room.
And while he may not be what he was in his prime, when he was among the NFL’s best, Diggs is still a terrific route runner.
While there were problems in Buffalo, publicized conflicts with Josh Allen over how much he was getting the football, Diggs appeared to be more of a model teammate after being traded to Houston.
Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud raved about him last year.
The bigger problem for New England?
Given his age, and injury status, Diggs is no longer the type of receiver they so desperately crave.
That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t sign him if he checks out physically, it just means they haven’t solved the receiver issue.
At best he’s an upgrade, but not an answer.
With the visit, the Patriots are trying to figure out what he has left, and if that’s enough to make them a better team. That’s the end game here.
Last season, Diggs played in eight games, and caught 47 passes for 496 yards and three touchdowns.
He averaged 62.0 yards per game. That’s better than any output Patriots receivers have produced for years. Julian Edelman was the last wideout to post an average better than 60 yards per game. That was six years ago.
If anyone is expecting Diggs to be a 1,000-yard receiver, which he was from 2018-2023, and a difference-maker, that falls under the heading of wishful thinking, eight months shy of his 32nd birthday.
Beyond that, Diggs, who tore his ACL on Oct. 27, isn’t likely to be ready for the start of training camp. So he’ll get a late start, which isn’t the best for a receiver going to a new team with a new quarterback.
Establishing any type of chemistry with Maye will be tough under those circumstances.
Bottom line: The Patriots wouldn’t be kicking the tires on him if they didn’t think he’d be a fit in the offense, and a positive influence both on the younger receivers in the room, as well as Maye.
The fly in the ointment here, is more about how close he is, to what he used to be when he was terrorizing opposing defenses, with the Patriots at the head of the list.
As a member of the Buffalo Bills especially, the 4-time Pro Bowl receiver made life hell for the Patriots secondary.
It’s been five years since he reached that pinnacle, leading the NFL in receptions and receiving yards.
A healthy Diggs would certainly improve the Patriots offense, but at this stage of his career, he won’t fix it. But it’s still worth a try.
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