Throughout his career, Stefon Diggs has occasionally offended people with his personality, which is rumored to be the factor that appeared to end his time with the Buffalo Bills. But personality often reflects a player's leadership, and that of Diggs is one that the Patriots desperately need heading into the 2025 season. New England's wide receiver room has lacked swagger for quite some time.
The Patriots knew what they were getting into when they signed Diggs this offseason. He's 31 years old and coming off a torn ACL, but when he's on his game, he's one of the league's top receivers and the top target that Drake Maye sorely needs.
According to NBC Boston's Tom Curran and Phil Perry, the combination of Diggs' leadership and personality will greatly benefit New England's wide receiver room and Maye this season, as they explained on their latest episode of the "Patriots Talk" Podcast.
"Earlier in the week, I was speaking to an offensive coach. It was mentioned that the Patriots offense right now in the wide receiver room, basically, you can look at Diggs, (Kendrick) Bourne, (DeMario) Douglas, (Mack) Hollins, and (Kyle) Williams. And then after that, the other three: Javon Baker, Ja'Lynn Polk, and Kayshon Boutte, they're all kind of playing for their jobs," Curran said.
Stefon Diggs' continues shutting down early concerns about his fit with the Patriots
Curran is spot on. Diggs is the leader the Patriots haven't had at the wide receiver position since Julian Edelman retired in 2020. Edelman was the last New England wideout to have a 1,000-yard season in 2019. Diggs' playmaking ability is a jolt that the Patriots' offense needs.
That's undoubtedly why New England was able to take on a 31-year-old receiver who suffered a serious knee injury last season. There have been reports that Diggs has been ahead of the eight ball in his rehab, which is good news for the Patriots.
Guys like Ja'Lynn Polk, Javon Baker, Kayshon Boutte, and perhaps even Kendrick Bourne, the latter of whom could be a summer trade possibility, will be playing for jobs during training camp and into the preseason. Maybe the arrival of Diggs into the building should push and motivate those young guys to want to stay around New England.
As for Diggs, he'll certainly come into this season with a chip on his shoulder, and that could be good news for Maye, Mike Vrabel, and Josh McDaniels. Diggs said all the right things in his introductory press conference and appears ready to shift his attitude into high gear.
If that all comes together, the Patriots will be a team nobody wants to play in 2025 and Diggs could be a candidate for Comeback Player of the Year.