The Patriots made a big splash on free-agent wide receiver Stefon Diggs. No doubt, he has been a top receiver in the NFL for years, most recently in 2023 with Buffalo. Last season in Houston, he suffered a season-ending knee injury, a torn ACL. It's a serious injury, and at 31 years old, it's unlikely it's an easy one to recover from.
Recently, in an article, ESPN's Patriots' insider extraordinaire, Mike Reiss commented about Diggs's injury and his possible timetable for a return. He raised some clear red flags about the situation that could have a major impact on the Patriots' season.
Let's examine the free agent signings and assess how Digg's injury situation may affect the New England Patriots' draft plans and the start of their season. We'll use Reiss's always astute thoughts to help shed some light from the inside on how this might look when the Patriots go to Baltimore for the first game of the season.
Mike Reiss's red flags on the Patriots' Diggs signing draw concerns about the 2025 season
No one has any doubt that a healthy Stefon Diggs in 2025 is the Patriots' immediate No. 1 wide receiver. He's far and away the best talent and the best option Drake Maye will have to unlock any and every NFL defense the Pats face. The question is, will Diggs be healthy?
Reiss has raised some questions about that. Here's part of what this top Patriots' reporter had to say,
"Diggs immediately becomes the Patriots' top receiver when fully healthy, which sparks intriguing possibilities for second-year QB Drake Maye and the offense. When Diggs is at his best, he wins with some of the most sudden and precise route-running in the NFL, and can align both outside and in the slot...
"While Diggs might be on track to play Week 1, the fact he won't be on the field this offseason -- where he can acclimate to the system -- could lead the team to slow-play his return. Until Diggs is up and running, the top receivers are Mack Hollins, Kayshon Boutte, DeMario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne and 2024 draft picks Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker.
"What's the risk: Diggs is coming off the torn right ACL and is 31, so the Patriots are taking a risk that he will return to past form."
Reiss shares the opinion here and probably elsewhere that a healthy Stefon Diggs is worth all that the Pats paid for him and more. He's a bona fide No. 1 receiver in the NFL. That's something the Patriots haven't seen since Julian Edelman retired.
Yet, the red flags he's raised about his injury and the timetable for his return are cautionary. Evidently, he won't likely be seen much in the pre-season. While Reiss indicates that he "might be on track to play Week 1," it's clear that's not a given. He also notes he won't be acclimatized to a new system, a new quarterback, and a whole new dynamic in Foxborough.
What does Diggs's injury situation mean for the Patriots in 2025?
The best-case scenario for Diggs is a return to action in Week 1. It appears the best-case scenario for Diggs will be a return to action in Week 1, when the Patriots travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens. That would be a huge plus for the team and Drake Maye. But can Patriot Nation expect the pre-injury form of Diggs in week one, even if he is on the field?
It seems logical to assume that a younger player suffering such an injury may recover faster than an older player. But each individual is different. The hope is that Diggs will return to his usual self by week one of the season.
Reiss speculates the team may, as he calls it, "slow-play his return" to allow him to acclimate to the new Patriots' system. That could mean Diggs is not on the field for a game or a few, and can it be expected he'll be up to full strength even when he does return?
No one knows the answer to that question. Yet, all these question marks mitigate toward an inevitable conclusion: The Patriots still need to devote heavy draft resources to the wide receiver position. Any prolonged absence or time of reduced effectiveness for Diggs could be crucial. Last year's group won't get the job done.
The hope in Patriots Nation is that Stefon Diggs has a speedy recovery and will return to his former Pro Bowl self by Week 1. Yet, Reiss's comments, as informed as they usually are, should be cautioning. There's probably no better-sourced reporter in Patriot Nation than Mike Reiss. If it looks like he's tamping down expectations for an early return, he probably is. Don't be surprised if he's right.