Patriots get positive update with notable injury list absence

Patriots veterans report to training camp on Tuesday.

Diggs, who turns 32 in November, spent the 2024 season with the Houston Texans after being traded from the Buffalo Bills in April 2024.

He appeared in eight games before his injury last year and had 47 receptions, 496 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Diggs was on a 17-game pace of 1,054 yards, which would have been his seventh consecutive 1,000-yard season.

In March, he signed a three-year, $63.5 million contract with New England.

While the Patriots shouldn't expect Diggs to be as dynamic as from 2020-23 with the Bills when he averaged 111.3 receptions, 1,343 yards and 9.3 touchdowns per season, he can still make life easier for second-year quarterback Drake Maye, the No. 3 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.

He gives the young gunslinger a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver as Maye looks to take a leap after a promising rookie season.

It also allows Diggs to put his controversial offseason behind him. In May, video published online showed Diggs at a boat party handing women an unspecified pink substance.

"It's something we're aware of," head coach Mike Vrabel said at the time.

"We want to make great decisions on and off the field," he added.

New England's upcoming training camp is important for Diggs to establish himself not only as Maye's favorite target but a veteran leader on the league's seventh-youngest team.

Thanks to a positive update following the release of the Patriots' injured list, Diggs appears on track to hit the ground running.