FOXBOROUGH – During the four seasons Stefon Diggs played for Buffalo, he was a No. 1 receiver in every sense of the word.
He regularly posted 1,000-plus yard receiving seasons. He made the Pro Bowl four times, and was voted All-Pro twice.
Mostly, he kept defensive coordinators up at night trying to figure out ways to defend him and keep the damage to a minimum.
Now, at age 31, coming off a torn ACL in October, Diggs no longer fits that description. He’s not what he once was.
He can’t blow past defenders as he once did. He can’t win on the outside with his speed.
Sean McDermott and Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich, meanwhile, probably aren’t losing sleep over him as they prepare for Sunday’s primetime matchup with the Patriots.
No matter.
All of the above doesn’t mean Diggs can no longer help an offense, or impact a game.
He most certainly can.
He just has to go about it a little differently. And that transformation was on full display during Sunday’s blowout win over Carolina, a game in which he caught six passes for 101 yards.
Thus far, Josh McDaniels has lined him up all over the formation in order to find production. Diggs has been in the slot. He’s been out on the boundary.
Much like Red Sox Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez had to reinvent himself, and make adjustments after no longer having his dominant fastball, Diggs is going through a similar change as a receiver.
He’s using more of his guts and guile, his smarts and savvy in knowing how to get open from any spot, in order to be an outlet for Drake Maye.
And while much has been made of Diggs’ saying – he claims in jest – that his comfort level with McDaniels’ offense was at a “5 out of 10” level, he already seems to know plenty whether he sits at a five or above.
McDaniels actually joked Thursday it was closer to a 9-out-of-10.
Whatever the case, just the feel Diggs has for zone coverage, and instinctually knowing the soft spots allows him to get open. He also has impeccable timing, looking back at the last second on Sunday to pull in a back-shoulder throw from Maye in the win.
Even if he’s a tick slower than he was in the past, his versatility to line up at the X, Z, or slot positions has been invaluable for the Patriots.
Receivers coach Todd Downing talked about Diggs’ evolution on Thursday.
“He’s had to feel comfortable spatially in this offense in a multitude of different spots,” Downing said. “That’s been fun to see him take hold of that and ownership of that.”
McDaniels typically asks the receivers to learn all of the positions, and the responsibilities of what needs to be done on each play from every spot. Some grasp it better than others. And despite his claims to the contrary, Diggs, who signed a three-year, $69 million deal with the Patriots, is doing just fine.
“I’ve been doing this a long time, just being where I’m supposed to be, when I’m supposed to be there. Being reliable, trying to build that consistency with Drake,” Diggs said. “I feel like that consistency brings that confidence from the receiver position.
“Quarterbacks like seeing guys open,” he went on. “And (Maye) throws a hell of a ball. A very catchable ball. I’m just trying to do my job.”
After Sunday’s outing, it’ll be interesting to see what lies ahead especially with Diggs’ returning to Orchard Park for the first time.
He’s admitted that it’s both emotional, and personal, going back to the home of the team that traded him. At the same time, he knows he has a job to do.
Asked if it was difficult for him to leave Buffalo or if he wanted a fresh start away from the Bills, Diggs dodged with his answer Wednesday.
“Obviously, it was hard for me. It was a difficult time,” he said. “Obviously, I spent so much time there, I built a lot of bonds, a lot of friendships, so it’s obviously gonna be hard and emotional. I look forward to going back seeing those guys,” he said.
“It’s just the nature of the business. I’m not in control of nothing. I get open, I catch the ball,” he went on. “But as far as the internal stuff, obviously I miss those guys over there. You spend a lot of time with people becomes more personal rather than just professional. So when I say it’s the nature of the business, that’s how it goes.”
It’s the same with being older, coming off a significant injury, and having to adjust. If you want to stay in the game, you find other ways to be useful, other ways to be an impactful receiver.
He played second fiddle to Houston’s Nico Collins, and largely became a slot receiver with the Texans last year. Before getting hurt, he was contributing just fine.
A year later, McDaniels is doing his best to utilize Diggs in the best way possible, finding that sweet spot. If that’s the Diggs that was on display last week against the Panthers, that works just fine.
“He’s worked really hard at that (learning multiple spots in the offense), ” McDaniels said. “Obviously, he wasn’t able to practice in the spring in terms of being out there full speed. But once he was cleared in training camp, every day, every rep he’s taken has been invaluable to him. And he deserves a lot of credit for that.”