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Stefon Diggs visited the New England Patriots and left without a contract last week. Even though Diggs isn't employed yet, that doesn't mean the visit didn't go well.
Per ESPN, Diggs had a positive development in his recovery from a torn ACL suffered last season. Just five months after sustaining the injury, Diggs is ahead of schedule in his recovery. The 31-year-old Diggs is running at full speed and gaining increased comfort cutting and changing direction.
Based on how Diggs is progressing, the 11-year veteran appears set to be ready for the start of the 2025 season. That was part of his visit with the Patriots, so the team could evaluate where Diggs is at in his rehab.
The Patriots could revisit talks with Diggs down the road, especially with how their wide receiver group is at the moment. Their current depth chart consists of Kayshon Boutte, Kendrick Bourne, DeMario Douglas, Ja'Lynn Polk and free agent signing Mack Hollins.
The visit appeared to be more of an evaluation of Diggs than anything else, per the ESPN report. The Patriots could use a player of Diggs' caliber, as he notched six straight 1,000-yard seasons with the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills and was selected to four straight Pro Bowls prior to last season. He had 47 catches for 496 yards and three touchdowns in eight games with the Houston Texans, averaging 10.6 yards per catch.
Diggs' receiving yards per game and yards per catch have dipped each season. He averaged 89.3 yards per game and 13.2 yards per catch in 2022, and those numbers have since dropped to 62.0 and 10.6 in 2024. He also has gone 19 straight contests without a 100-yard receiving game, the longest drought of his career.
One of the top free agent wide receivers remaining, Diggs will likely go on more free agent visits during the second wave of the league's signing period.
