Stefon Diggs labels Patriots WR room as ‘seven dogs, one bone’

FOXBOROUGH — Drake Maye has gone from promising rookie to reliable NFL MVP candidate within the span of simply two seasons with the Patriots.

Whereas the 23-year-old QB’s has emerged as a potent playmaker in 2025, New England’s sign caller isn’t precisely stuffing the stat sheet by honing in on only one elite goal.

Regardless of Stefon Diggs’ credentials as an All-Professional expertise, the 32-year-old wideout solely leads New England this season with 705 receiving yards throughout 13 video games. 

These 705 yards rank twenty seventh within the NFL to date this season, with Maye doling out most of his injury by spreading the wealth throughout New England’s depth chart. 

In whole, the Patriots have eight completely different gamers on their roster who’ve recorded a minimum of 150 receiving yards on the season — with 4 gamers reeling in a minimum of three landing passes from Maye. 

Diggs was candid on Wednesday when requested about each vast receiver’s need to get the ball as a lot as potential.

However on condition that New England’s success on offense this 12 months has been rooted in a number of gamers all pulling on the rope when referred to as upon, Diggs praised the Patriots’ wideout room for his or her willingness to purchase in for the nice of the crew.

“Unselfishness,” Diggs mentioned. “I might by no means sit up right here and act like a robotic and act like I don’t need the ball. However I can inform you the man subsequent to me proper right here and the man subsequent to him, all people desires the ball. Everyone desires to play at a excessive degree. It’s like seven canines and one bone.

“I simply suppose that it’s an unselfish [group] and also you’re pulling in your brother. That’s why you see guys blocking downfield for a receiver and also you see guys throwing an additional little block right here and there. It’s simply since you’re actually prepared to [watch out] in your brother and you actually care about him.”

Regardless that Diggs factored into New England’s offensive gameplan within the early weeks of the 2025 season, it did take him a while to get rewarded on the stat sheet.

Regardless of recording back-to-back 100-yard video games in Weeks 4 and 5 in opposition to Carolina and Buffalo, it took Diggs till Week 8 to lastly snag in his first landing from Maye. 

However Diggs pressured that the buy-in is there from each wideout that — in the end — they’re going to get their alternative to provide on this offense. 

“It’s simply so many explosive gamers on the offensive aspect of the ball that it’s certain to occur for you,” Diggs mentioned. “You’ll be open. Simply proceed to get open. We’ve this little saying, ‘What are you gonna do? Are you gonna cease getting open? Are you going to cease catching the ball?’”

Diggs additionally credited Mike Vrabel for preaching the rules which have helped flip New England’s receiver room into an unselfish and environment friendly phase of the roster. 

“Primarily, he began speaking about id and issues like that,” Diggs mentioned of Vrabel. “[He’d say] you type of determine what crew you’re all year long, what you’re good at, what you’re going do effectively, what you’re going to attempt to be good at … it type of began from the get-go what we have been going to evangelise so far as effort and end, and issues like that There’s some issues that I’ve achieved all through my profession, however that is essentially the most distinguished … actually figuring out or defining what a pacesetter is.

“Totally different groups require various things, and when it comes right down to effort and end, he’s non-negotiable. Blocking in your guys down the sphere is non-negotiable. It type of builds the hierarchy simply so far as a regular, that your finest gamers are giving their all for everyone. And all people follows go well with.”

 

Conor Ryan is a workers author protecting the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Purple Sox for Boston.com, a job he has held since 2023.