In one of their first moves of the offseason, the New England Patriots made the decision to release veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
That move left big shoes to fill offensively moving forward, as Diggs led the team with 85 receptions and 1,013 yards last season. More importantly, he led all NFL wide receivers by catching 82.5 percent of his targets, serving as a reliable target for quarterback Drake Maye.
“We all appreciate what Stef did and being able to coach him — but what has to happen is the
efficiency in which he was able to catch the ball was impressive. Whether that’s Drake’s accuracy and ball location, or Steph’s ability to catch it. That’s something that we’ll have to recreate,” head coach Mike Vrabel explained at the NFL annual league meetings on Tuesday.
“I’m not worried about the catches and the overall production. I think we can recreate that. We just have to be very mindful that the efficiency in which we throw and catch it is important.”
The first step toward replacing Diggs came in free agency, as the Patriots signed former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs to a four-year, $68 million contract.
Doubs, whom Vrabel noted was a target due to his consistency and year-over-year improvement, now joins a depth chart that includes Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams, and Efton Chism III.
Internal development from younger players in that group will also be key in ultimately replacing Diggs’ production and efficiency.
“You mentioned Kayshon, I think Pop is a player that’s going to really continue to grow and develop, and we have to find ways to get him the ball,” Vrabel said. “Kyle — really excited — we talked about him improving his play strength, and that’s something he’s tried to focus on here in the offseason. We know what his speed is, his release skills, and the ability to track the ball down the field.
“There’s a lot of guys that we’re excited about.”
The Patriots may not be done adding at the position either. New England has been linked to trade speculation involving Philadelphia Eagles star wide receiver A.J. Brown throughout the offseason. The team could also address the position in next month’s NFL Draft.
“We’re gonna try to do everything we can to strengthen our roster, through the draft, through free agency, multiple ways of player acquisition,” Vrabel said. “So anything that we can continue to do to strengthen the roster, we’re going to try to do.”
