Former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs was off to a strong start in his first season since being traded out of Buffalo, making his mark with the upstart Houston Texans.
Then injury struck, cutting short his season and casting doubt on the future for the 31-year-old. Diggs left the Texans in free agency and joined a Bills rival, getting some good news this week on his return to the field.
New England Patriots Get ‘Good Sign’ on Stefon Diggs
Diggs landed a deal with the New England Patriots this offseason, giving young quarterback Drake Maye a trusted target. Though Diggs is still limited while recovering from the torn ACL that cut short his 2024 season, Shanna McCarriston of CBS Sports noted that the team got a good sign this week on his return.
“The four-time Pro Bowler is still recovering from tearing his ACL in his right knee nearly seven months ago and has given positive updates on his progress. The Patriots shared photos from this week’s OTA sessions, which featured Diggs’ participating in the drills, a good sign for Patriots fans,” McCarriston wrote.
McCarriston noted that the Patriots had the fewest receiving yards in the NFL last season and the second-fewest receiving touchdowns. Diggs is expected to help remedy the struggles, though his recovery could still keep him out for the opening stretch of the season.
“There is still no guarantee Stefon will be ready for the Patriots Week 1 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, but having him in the locker room alone will make a big difference to a more inexperienced offense,” McCarriston wrote.
Diggs had a late-season slump with the Bills in 2023, but showed last season that he is still a Pro Bowl-caliber wide receiver. He made 47 receptions for 496 yards and three touchdowns through eight games before going down with a torn ACL.
Bills Didn’t Miss a Step After Trading Stefon Diggs
The Bills revamped their wide receiving corps last offseason, trading Diggs and letting No. 2 wide receiver Gabe Davis walk in free agency. The team instead adopted what they called an “everybody eats” approach that spread the ball out to a wider group of veteran and young pass-catchers.
The Bills turned in one of the league’s top offenses and quarterback Josh Allen earned his first league MVP award. Allen said in January that it was good to have a group of unselfish players, a potential slight at Diggs who was seen blowing up at Allen during a playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
“When people know their assignment and go out and execute and don’t care about when they get the ball, they just know they will get the ball at some point,” Allen said, via CBS Sports. “It makes playing with these guys extremely awesome.”
The Bills have continued to add talent this offseason, signing the steady Elijah Moore and Joshua Palmer. The team has also hinted that second-year receiver Keon Coleman will be taking on a bigger role in the coming season after an up-and-down rookie year that was marked by a long injury absence.
