The New England Patriots have a new offensive coordinator in Josh McDaniels, bringing him back for his third stint with the team. And appropriately, the Patriots have also added a bunch of new pieces for McDaniels to utilize.
Perhaps the most notable acquisition is wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who New England is hoping will serve as Drake Maye's No. 1 target in 2025. But how is Diggs adjusting to the offense? The four-time Pro Bowler explained on his own YouTube channel.
“I'm studying, but it's really the route concepts, like basically, if you hear a word, you need to be able to know the word immediately, know the concept," Diggs said. "... I don’t need to know exactly just what I got, I need to know what somebody to the right or to the left of me got. So what everybody got around me, how I'm going to get open or how I'm going to get somebody else open.”
Diggs spent the 2024 campaign with the Houston Texans, but was limited to just eight games due to a torn ACL he suffered midway through the season. During his time on the field, he caught 47 passes for 496 yards and three touchdowns, so he was still productive when he was healthy.
The question is, will the 31-year-old be ready for the Pats' season opener?
While Diggs has certainly looked good in offseason workouts, his status for Week 1 remains up in the air, and we really don't know how the aging playmaker will respond to such a severy injury.
It's also important to note that the former fifth-round pick appeared to be showing signs of decline during his final season with the Buffalo Bills in 2023.
That being said, as long as Diggs is on the field, he should unquestionably represent a better option than anything the Patriots had in their receiving corps last year.
