This year will mark the first season Todd Downing is an NFL wide receivers coach, but he’s no stranger to recently-signed Patriot Stefon Diggs – and he has high character expectations for the wideout.
“I think the fun thing, watching his maturation throughout the course of his career, is that he’s now in a position where he’s now fully ready to lead,” Downing said Thursday.
Downing worked with Diggs during the 2018 season in Minnesota, when both were with the Vikings. Downing was an offensive assistant then and Diggs was in his fourth year, but he said Diggs was in a different role on that team when it came to leadership.
“I think in Minnesota, he was doing that at times, but Adam Thielen and Kyle Rudolph were kind of the leaders of the offense there – and Kirk Cousins, obviously. Now, Stef’s looking forward to stepping into that leadership role.”
He confirmed he was part of the meetings Diggs took with the Patriots a few weeks ago before signing with New England. The 31-year-old man is a little different than the 25-year-old he knew in Minnesota.
“I saw a lot of him in game plan meetings and on the field, and that competitive fire, I’m sure there’s going to be some of that as we get going here. [He’s] certainly a little bit more mature, a couple more years under his belt and experiences under his belt,” he said.
Part of that experience is the injury he sustained in Week 8 of last season, when he tore his ACL. He's self-reported as "ahead of schedule" in his return.
The Patriots were without a strong voice in the receivers room last year and, in turn, suffered from disorganization on the field and discord off the field. Diggs’ additions, along with free agent signing Mack Hollins, makes that room a crowded place with several young players who haven’t made a big dent in the offense yet. DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte are both returning from last year after so-so performances, and rookies Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker were seriously underwhelming.
Downing sees Diggs as a leader on offense. The Patriots are paying more than $16 million to him this year, but that role is priceless.
“It’s extremely valuable. As a coach, you want somebody to champion your message when you’re not in the room, and Stef’s definitely a guy I think can do that, along with Mack [Hollins] and Kendrick [Bourne] and some of the other vets we have.”
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels echoed Downing’s enthusiasm. His brother, Ben, worked with Diggs on the Texans staff in 2024.
“Stef is a unique individual,” he said with a smile. “Unique player, got a really good skill set, been a very productive player for a long time, excited about his addition. My brother had an opportunity to coach him last year in Houston, so I have a little bit of insight into what he’s like day-to-day. I’m really excited about having him here.”
Downing worked for seven other NFL teams before joining the Patriots, including two stints with the Vikings. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel previously had him on his Tennessee Titans staff as tight ends coach in 2019.