New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots are inspiring optimism entering the 2025 season, but Pro Football Focus apparently isn’t enamored with their wide receivers.
New England renovated its receiving room by adding Stefon Diggs and Kyle Williams. They’ll join DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, and Ja’Lynn Polk in an offense that ranked last in passing last season.
Earlier this week, PFF’s Trevor Sikkema ranked each NFL team’s wide receiving corps for 2025. The Patriots placed 31st, only slotting ahead of the Cleveland Browns.
“It’s almost a completely new group of receiving weapons in New England, making it difficult to truly assess the state of the team’s receiving corps.” Sikkema wrote.
The Patriots may get the last laugh if Diggs is any semblance of the player who exceeded 100 catches in four straight seasons with the Buffalo Bills. The four-time Pro Bowler cleared 1,000 receiving yards in six consecutive seasons before an ACL tear halted his 2024 campaign in late October.
“I’m looking forward to being able to throw him a few footballs,” Maye said of Diggs. “It’s always good to have a guy like that on your team.”
A Diggs comeback could help some of New England’s younger wideouts flourish as well. Douglas has drawn rave reviews from new head coach Mike Vrabel entering his third season.
“I think he’s gotten better,” Vrabel said of Douglas during minicamp earlier this month. “We’re moving him around different places, and he’s picked up everything that we’ve asked him to do,” Vrabel continued. “The more he understands, the more we give him. I’m excited to see where he continues to be and continues to grow.”
Boutte tallied 240 yards and two touchdowns in last season’s final three games, and Williams will compete for reps after registering 1,255 yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior at Washington State.
The Patriots may not possess the same pass-catching star power as the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who topped PFF’s list, but the group could make significant progress in 2025.
