Stefon Diggs’s recovery is ‘impressive,’ Patriots WR who suffered similar knee injury says
"From my experience, I was just like 'bro, I wasn't even close to that'."
Kendrick Bourne knows what it takes to rehab a torn ACL.
The Patriots receiver had his 2023 season practically cut in half because of the injury. He came back and played in 12 games last year, catching 12 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown.
Fellow Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs tore his ACL last October while he was with the Houston Texans. Diggs has hit the ground running in training camp after being fully cleared a little less than nine months after the injury occurred.
The swift recovery is an impressive feat, Bourne said Thursday.
“We talk about him all the time, man,” Bourne said. “It’s freaking impressive. From my experience, I was just like ‘bro, I wasn’t even close to that’.”
“It’s just an honor to see. I be talking about Adrian Peterson when he came back from his ACL and he was just explosive, and I just be teasing (Diggs) like ‘Hey man, you’re looking good, you’re looking like you’re going to have an AP kind of year from it.’ He be laughing and joking, but he has worked hard and you can seethe results.”
Peterson, a seven-time Pro Bowl running back, tore his ACL on Christmas Eve of 2011. He came back stronger than ever the following season, rushing for 2,097 yards and 12 touchdowns en route to capturing the only MVP award of his career.
Diggs’s injury interrupted a string of productive seasons. He had a streak of six consecutive 1,000-plus receiving yard seasons, and appeared to be on his way to a seventh one before he hurt his knee.
It was the first time since Diggs’s rookie season in 2015 that he finished with less than 849 yards in a season.
Diggs said he was happy to return to action following his rehab process and excited to show what he can do.
But, the ten-year veteran is also aware that certain things take time and he’s looking forward to stacking results in training camp as he continues to build a rapport with quarterback Drake Maye.
“It’s crazy. You know I’ve been around the league for a while now, I’ve seen it,” Diggs said. I”‘ve got a little bit of experience. Every situation is different. You kind of have to go into it with the right mindset.”
“Brick by brick. When you’re building with a quarterback, good things are going to happen, bad things are going to happen. Don’t ride the rollercoaster, commit to the process. Don’t get distracted by good results, bad results. I’m going to trust the process and I’m ready to work.”
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