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It didn’t take Stefon Diggs long to connect with Drake Maye, and other takeaways from Day 1 of Patriots training camp
Diggs, who spent the offseason recovering from an ACL tear, hit the ground running in Foxborough.
FOXBOROUGH – It took Stefon Diggs a while to catch the puppy he held in his arms as he walked into his first day of training camp with the Patriots.
As soon as he put the dog on the ground, it scooted away, dashing around a sign and befind a fence before the Patriots’ receiver ultimately corralled it.
Fortunately for Diggs, it didn’t take him long at all to catch a pass from Drake Maye. He hauled in the second-year quarterback’s first completion of the camp, and the crowd roared with excitement.
The veteran receiver who was recently cleared for full participation during this camp caught both of the passes that were thrown his way.
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There were plenty of new faces, Diggs included, in Foxborough on Wednesday as the Patriots kicked off camp with a pad-less practice on a sunny July day.
Here are five takeaways from the action:
Stefon Diggs had a speedy recovery, and got rolling quickly
Diggs got the offense rolling with a catch on a short crossing route from Maye at the beginning of team drills. He also hauled in a catch near the sideline in a later drill.
He’s just shy of nine months out from the day he tore his ACL, October 29th of last year.
The 31-year old receiver has enjoyed a speedy recovery, with coach Mike Vrabel telling reporters on Tuesday that he doesn’t expect any restrictions on Diggs during this camp.
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“Everybody said I came back pretty fast, but it was a different journey for me,” Diggs said. “I wanted to get back as fast as I could and I just was super serious about my rehab process. I love football and if you love football you put that time in.”
Diggs’s movements looked fluid, and he looked explosive for the most part. Maye spread the ball around, so there weren’t a ton of opportunities for targets.
The real test will come when the Patriots put on pads, but Diggs appears to have done his homework as far as his recovery is concerned.
“I feel like I took the test already,” Diggs said, when asked if he was still testing things out with his knee. “I wanted to take the test out here before everybody else saw me. I feel like you can lie to everybody, but you can’t lie to yourself.
“I feel like I took the test when I was taking those reps. I was like I’m going to give it everything I’ve got and see what happens. The worst thing already happened. I hurt my knee already. I went through that already.”
Drake Maye looked good – except for one throw
Maye had a strong showing on Day 1. He went 8-for-9 passing, and he stepped into his throws confidently.
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One of the passes he zipped to Hunter Henry was placed so well that Henry barely had to move his hands to grab it. He hit Kyle Williams on a comeback route. He found Diggs early.
Maye had a couple of checkdowns that could have been sacks in a different situation. There was one when an edge rusher slipped before he got to Maye. There was another occasion where he got swallowed up by the rush and had to scramble until the whistle was blown.
Maye was asked what’s new in his toolbox compared to last year. He mentioned keeping his eyes on targets so he can remain a passing threat while he scrambles.
“I feel like I had good times last year where I had some guys deep that I may have missed them or took off running instead,” Maye said. “So, just trying to remain a passer and just keep trying to work on footwork. I think that’s the big thing. New offense, new play-actions, new concepts to try to time it up and get a good group.”
Maye’s lone incompletion probably should have been an interception. He lobbed a deep pass right to Jabrill Peppers, who leapt for it but was unable to hang on.
DJ James grabbed some attention
DJ James, a cornerback who spent most of last year on New England’s practice squad after being taken by Seattle in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, made the first interception of training camp.
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Josh Dobbs threw a deep ball intended for Javon Baker, but it was too strong and James ended up hauling it in.
James, a 24-year-old defensive back, is 6-feet tall and is listed at 184-pounds. He ran a 4.42 40-yard dash at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. He began his college career at Oregon and finished it at Auburn.
Rookie WR Kyle Williams off to a fast start
Williams was covered by Christian Gonzalez on the comeback route that he caught from Maye.
“I think he was backside one-on-one with Gonzo [Christian Gonzalez],” Maye said. “He made a big-time catch, strong hands. I told him to maybe sell it a little more, just try to give him a go-route feel. But I think he’s coming along. He’s looking good.”
He also caught a screen pass off of a play-action that went for a big gain. He had plenty of open space ahead of him, allowing Williams to show off his speed.
Williams and Diggs combined for half of Maye’s completions.
Robert Kraft made an appearance
Patriots owner Robert Kraft spoke to the media before practice. He said he is excited for a fresh start after a pair of disappointing 4-win seasons.
“After my family, the most important thing for me is this team winning football games. It was really tough so it’s my job to do whatever I can to help that happen and I feel good about the foundation of what we have now. Now we’ve got to go execute and make it happen.”
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