Stefon Diggs was the Patriots’ top wideout last season. A.J. Brown is the Patriots’ top wideout this season.
What a difference a No. 1 wideout makes.
Patriots safety Kevin Byard compared Brown’s presence to Justin Jefferson’s presence with the Vikings. Byard, who played with Brown in Philadelphia for 10 games in 2023, faced Jefferson four times in the past two seasons in Chicago.
“When I was in Chicago, we obviously played against a guy in Justin Jefferson, and, for the most part, you need to point out where Justin Jefferson was on every single play,” Byard said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “It’s the same thing with A.J. When I’m lined up at safety, and I’m deep back there, 12, 14, 15 yards, whatever, I’m going to identify where’s A.J.? You know what I mean? Like where’s he at? Is he lined up way out on the boundary at the X? Is he lined up in the slot or whatever? Let’s identify where he is, and now I can kind of get a good base on, OK, this is where the No. 1 player is. The running back’s here; tight end’s here. So, it just shifts your philosophy on how you want to play defense.”
Brown’s presence will give Drake Maye better matchups, even if the three-time Pro Bowler is covered.
“Do you play cloud over top of [Brown]? ‘Cause you don’t really want to leave him one-on-one,” Byard said. “I mean that’s what A.J. does best. He’s going to run those slants, those quick dig routes, those go balls. I don’t think anybody in the league is better than him when it comes to those routes and being able to break a tackle and take it the distance. So, he’s just a phenomenal athlete, phenomenal talent.”
The Patriots upgraded their No. 2 wide receiver, too, by signing Romeo Doubs.
Wide receiver Stefon Diggs has not landed a job since being released by the Patriots in March, but there’s enough time for that to change before training camps open later this month.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that at least five teams have been checking in on Diggs of late. There’s no word on which teams make up that list or how likely it is that one of them has interest in moving forward with a deal.
The report comes shortly after Diggs shared his belief that “you can’t name a No. 2 [wide receiver] better than me” anywhere in the league. Others would dispute that assertion, but Diggs is coming off a productive season with the Patriots.
Diggs returned from a 2024 torn ACL to post 85 catches for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns in 17 regular season games. He added 14 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown in the postseason, but the Patriots released him for cap reasons before acquiring A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs.
Ten NFL teams hired new head coaches this year. None of those coaches are Black. Patriots passing game coordinator/tight ends coach Thomas Brown is one of the many Black assistants who interviewed for multiple jobs but wasn’t chosen.
Brown told Mike Reiss of ESPN that getting many interviews over the years but not getting a head-coaching job has been difficult for him.
“It’s a very complex conversation, something that has been a consistent dialogue almost every single year. To say it’s frustrating in some ways is probably an understatement,” Brown said. “I’ve constantly heard this mantra the last six years in the NFL that people hire the most qualified candidates, which I hope is true and accurate. But you’re also seeing almost every time that is never a Black coach. Which is frustrating. I’ve also heard the phrase ‘there’s not many candidates in the pipeline to choose from.’ I do take issue with that, because I’ve been around some high-level great communicators, great connectors of people, at every stop I’ve been.”
The 40-year-old Brown was a college running back who was drafted in the sixth round by the Falcons in 2008. After a three-year NFL playing career, Brown has spent 15 years in coaching, including five games as interim head coach of the Bears in 2024.
The NFL currently has three Black head coaches: Todd Bowles of the Buccaneers, DeMeco Ryans of the Texans)and Aaron Glenn of the Jets.
With training camp right around the corner, wide receiver Stefon Diggs is among several big-name players who remain without a home.
Diggs became a free agent on March 11 when the Patriots released him in a cost-cutting move.
The Patriots replaced Diggs, their leading wide receiver last season, with a true No. 1 wideout in A.J. Brown. Diggs admits he is no longer a No. 1 wide receiver, but he said he’s better than any of the NFL’s No. 2 wide receivers.
“My opinion, I can compete with anybody,” Diggs said in a video on his YouTube channel last week. “But take those [top wide receivers] as your 1s, right? You can’t name a No. 2 better than me.”
Diggs said “presumably” all 32 NFL teams have their No. 1 wide receiver for this season. He argued, though, that there are only seven “real [No.] 1s” in the league.
“There’s not a No. 2 on a team -- let’s presumably give people the credit and just say, ‘OK, you want to take the No. 1 spot away,’” Diggs said. “Name your No. 2 receiver right now, and tell me how much he makes, and then my last question is: Is he better than me?”
Diggs, 32, underestimates some of the top receiving duos in the league.
The Bengals have Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins; the Cowboys have CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens; the Rams have Davante Adams and Puka Nacua; the Patriots have Brown and Romeo Doubs; the Lions have Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams; and the Vikings have Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.
To his point, though, Diggs still has something left. He had a team-leading 85 receptions for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns last season, adding 14 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown in four postseason games.
Diggs has seven 1,000-yard seasons in his career.
The NFL closed its review of Diggs last month after he was found not guilty in May of assaulting his private chef in a pay dispute. Still, he remains in search of his next team.
“I brought myself here,” Diggs said. “Unfortunate at times, but I’m blessed. I’m going to be exactly where I’m supposed to be. . . . I’ll be fine. I know I’ll be fine.”
Greg Hawthorne, the Steelers’ first-round pick in 1979, has died. He was 69.
A member of the Super Bowl XIV-winning team, Hawthorne spent five seasons in Pittsburgh. He then played for the Patriots for three seasons, before finishing his career in Indianapolis in 1987 as a three-game replacement player during the strike.
Hawthorne played running back, receiver, and tight end during his eight-year NFL career. He finished with 527 rushing yards, 1,112 receiving yards, and 11 touchdowns.
In the 1985 AFC Championship upset of the Dolphins, Hawthorne recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half, setting up a touchdown that gave New England a 24-7 lead. The Patriots went on to upset Miami for a berth in Super Bowl XX, 31-14.
