The Commanders went through an arduous training camp with weeks of practice designed to push conditioning levels and work under near-constant stress tests.
Stefon Diggs didn’t experience every day of it, but Washington’s new receiver has been through enough to fully prepare for the regular season and put his stamp on this offense.
His Aug. 7 signing lifted the entire team, adding a needed offensive weapon and leadership element to this group. It has been easy to extoll his virtues and see how he has been a tone
setter thus far.
“Football IQ, very savvy, great vet, great locker room guy,” quarterback Jayden Daniels said in a Wednesday press conference. “Super competitive and he’s a dog, man. He wants the best, not for just himself, but everybody around him too.”
Now we’re on the cusp of his Commanders debut, formally kicking off Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia.
Diggs has produced everywhere he has gone, save a 2024 campaign in Houston cut short by a torn ACL. He has worked to build chemistry with Daniels and make the instant impact expected of someone with his resume.
“It’s kind of being the engine of an offense,” Diggs told on-site reporters on Wednesday, via video from the Commanders. “You want to be one of the pieces of the engine at least and see that things go well.”
Building chemistry with Daniels has gone well to this point. The quarterback and receiver have worked together a relatively limited time but are off to a solid start. Diggs considers it a “work in progress,” with he and Daniels “reaching for perfection.”
Diggs has been around the block enough to understand what a young quarterback needs from a receiver. In a word: reliability.
Diggs is good providing that. He has 1,000-plus yards in seven of the last eight seasons. He has a 70% reception rate when targeted, a number that peaked at 83% last year in New England.
“I would say to have a knack for catching the ball, for being open — the space, timing, being where you’re supposed to be consistently and running good routes,” Diggs said. “When you have a knack for being in the right spot, it’s a little easier.”
The veteran receiver once again called Daniels a “superstar,” then lauded his decisiveness and arm talent. Terry McLaurin also exists on the opposite side, which should even out coverage for both guys.
That’ll help increase his stat line, which has nothing to do with his goals for the season.
“Just winning,” Diggs said. “That’s all I want to do.”
What do you think Stefon Diggs provide against the Eagles, and what stat line will he produce in his first Commanders season? Let us know in the comments below:
