The "new" New England Patriots are on the march under their new leader, Head Coach, and de facto GM, Mike Vrabel. Vrabel is calling the shots in Foxborough, and it's a refreshing change from the 2024 group. The man knows what he's doing.
In free agency, Vrabel earned a solid grade from some observers. Pro Football Focus gave the new head guy a B+. Nothing wrong with that for a team whose free agency grade last season would have been a D. Vrabel has upped the landscape dramatically.
One observer, though, has a less-than-stellar view of the Pats' biggest offensive skill position signing in 2025, Pro-Bowl-level wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report slammed the signing. We're going to take his evaluation to task.
Bleacher Report blasts Patriots' Stefon Diggs signing
Observers saw the Diggs signing as somewhat risky (because he's coming off an ACL injury), but one that could ultimately reap huge rewards for the receiver-needy Patriots. Not much so for Bleacher Report (BR). Rather, they took a much dimmer view of the signing. They rated it the fifth-worst NFL 2025 free-agent signing. Here's Davenport's comments:
"But we’re talking about an aging receiver coming off an ACL tear who essentially played his way out of Minnesota and Buffalo. Diggs 62 receiving yards per game last year were his fewest since all the way back in 2017—coincidentally the last time he failed to hit 1,000 yards in a season.
This was a panic signing. And far more often than not, panic signings don’t work out."
Diggs' 2024 season stats are based only on eight games. Barring the injury, he was on his way to a respectable, if not spectacular, 2024 season. Catching 62 yards per game for a full season is more than 1000 yards, the benchmark for top receivers. That would have been far more than any Patriots receiver last season.
Putting the signing in perspective, the Patriots' 2024 wide receiver room needed an overhaul. Only Pop Douglas from 2024 could have been considered a solid NFL receiver. To put it simply: when healthy, Diggs is far better than any other wideout currently available to Drake Maye.
Patriots need to add top receivers in the draft
While Bleacher Report slams the Patriots for signing Diggs, can they categorically say that if/when he's healthy, or even at 80 percent, he won't be the Patriots' best receiver? That's not likely. Granted, his health is a legitimate concern and it may be a few games into the season before he's on the field and contributing in a meaningful way. Yet, the Patriots still have the draft and potential trades to bolster their receiver corp. until he's ready to go.
Signing Diggs was a calculated risk. Hopefully, it was based on solid medical evaluation and not just reports that his rehabilitation is going well. Fans should always take those pronouncements with a pinch of salt. If they're flawed, the team could have squandered millions on a faulty signing.
Yahoo Sports shares the Pats' new No. 1 wideout's view on his rehab:
“Right now I’m ahead of schedule and trying to stay ahead of schedule,” he said. “We’ll keep playing it by ear. ... Stay healthy, and the rest will take care of itself.”
Those comments are expected of a player rehabbing a gruesome injury. Yet, the fact remains whenever Diggs is ultimately back on the field, he'll be a top veteran addition to the Patriots' receiving corps. It was a risk, but one the Patriots needed to take. If they add a receiver or two in the draft, e.g., Travis Hunter and another, they'll plug the gap until Diggs returns. Then the benefits of the signing will be on full display for everyone to see.