Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs looked like the clear top dog in the first day of training camp – to the extent that even second-year quarterback Drake Maye said he needs to “earn” the trust of his more seasoned veteran teammates after practice.
For a franchise whose offenses have dwelled in the stat cellars the last two years, chemistry between Diggs and Maye can’t heat up fast enough.
“Anytime an All-Pro and a player like that, he made some plays out here today, it's awesome being able to throw to a guy like that,” Maye said Wednesday. “And even when you feel like he's not open, he's going to go make a play for you in tight coverage.”
Maye looked to Diggs early and often during competitive team periods. For his part, Diggs looked healthy and sharp. He ripped off a long sprint after a catch across the middle of the field one play after Harold Landry committed an uncharacteristic offsides penalty. Eight months after he tore his ACL playing for the Houston Texans, he cleared his team physical and looked a step ahead of many of his wideout counterparts.
Diggs sounded eager to put his injury behind him when he spoke with media after practice.
“I feel like the worst has already happened. I hurt my knee already. I went through that already. So, as far as taking those mental jumps? I took those in my rehab process,” he said. “I took it that serious, that if something’s going to happen, it’s going to happen right now, not when I get back to playing football. So, I’m not too concerned with the ‘what ifs.’”
He traveled down to North Carolina to run routes for Maye during the five-week break from team activities this summer. According to coach Mike Vrabel, Maye organized “95%” of that trip, which included other pass catchers as well.
The nine-year vet was brought in for his 1,000-plus yard-per-season resume, but his experiences with young quarterbacks Josh Allen and C.J. Stroud could also make him a valuable resource for the Patriots’ young gunslinger. It’s been quite a while since the team had a wideout who could truly elevate the quarterback - both with superhuman football talent and his perspective of the game.
But, Diggs acknowledged, that won’t happen overnight – or before the pads come on.
“They say timing, and all that, but it’s more so just about trust,” he said. “You want to be around a guy that you can trust. He’s a young quarterback. I believe in him and I think he’s going to have a lot of success in this league. Breathing confidence into him is very important when they’re young, and just talking through a lot of this stuff.”
“You know, I’ve been around the league for a while now,” he continued. “I’ve got a little bit of experience. Every situation is different. You kind of want to go in with the right mindset: brick-by-brick, when you’re building with a quarterback.”
Diggs isn’t the only league veteran new to the Patriots who can bring Maye along, and he’s well aware of that.
“There's certain players that have trust right when they come in,” Maye said, when asked about his relationship with Diggs. “Garrett Bradbury and Big Mo (Morgan Moses) up front. Guys like that have been in this league and played a bunch of starts. Mack Hollins, Hunter Henry, those guys, you trust. Like, trust is basically, it's me kind of earning my trust with them. It's me really kind of earning their trust. And me kind of making them feel like they can trust that guy back there.”
The Patriots front office has cleverly replicated the free agency strategy employed by the Washington Commanders in 2024 and surrounded their hot young talent with steady vets. Now it’s on Maye to create a dynamic with Diggs that looks second nature by the time the season rolls around.