Patriots coaches ‘not concerned’ about Stefon Diggs’ focus as Diggs returns to practice

For over a week now Stefon Diggs has been the New England Patriots' most-talked-about player - and that's with him not even stepping on the field in Foxborough. Instead the conversation around a video that went viral of Diggs partying on a boat with an unknown substance ahead of what was the team's second week of OTAs last week.

Diggs hadn't been at the first of three OTA practices open to the media two weeks ago, and then did not attend the practice immediately following the video last week. "Well, it's something that we're aware of," head coach Mike Vrabel said that day. "Obviously, we want to make great decisions on and off the field. We're hoping that with our time here on the field today, that when we don't have a script and we're on the call periods, that we're making great decisions. The message will be the same for all our players, that we're trying to make great decisions. Any conversations that I've had with Stefon will remain between him, I and the club."

Given all of that, Diggs return to practice on Monday for the third and final open OTA practice (seventh of nine total) drew plenty of attention. There was a line of cameras waiting simply to see Diggs come up the steps out of Gillette Stadium and take the practice field, which he greeted with a "nice to see y'all!"

Prior to the video on the boat, the biggest question regarding Diggs after the signing was his progress in returning from a torn ACL that he suffered last October. Diggs has posted workout clips on social media, but this was the first time outside eyes would get to see him go through a full practice.

Early on in practice Diggs didn't seem to have any limitations. He took part in stretching and then went through positional drills. That included running full-speed routes on air and catching passes from the quarterbacks. During this time, he also worked to coach up some of the Patriots' younger receivers - in particular spending a good amount of time with Ja'Lynn Polk and later Kayshon Boutte.

Once the team moved to more full-speed 11-on-11 work, Diggs moved to a side field. He ran routes on air alongside Polk, who has been making that his routine for most of the spring as he himself rehabs from offseason shoulder surgery.

Still, for a player just seventh months removed from a torn ACL it was encouraging to see Diggs running, planting, and cutting at full speed - even if it wasn't against a live defense. The fact he was limited likely suggests he still isn't fully through the recovery process, but that shouldn't be surprising given his timeline.

Would he be available to play if the Patriots had a game this week? Probably not, but that's not what matters. He does look like a player who could be on track for Week 1.

As for the mental side of things, Diggs' coaches didn't seem to concerned when asked about him prior to practice.

"He's here today, and we're excited to have an opportunity to work with the guys that are out here and available to us. I know he's staying up on the information and the material," offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said. "And there's so many things and opportunities for us to teach all our guys going forward between the rest of the practices here in the spring and then going into the summer and the many days we have before we actually kick the ball off in September. So I'm not concerned about Stef in that regard."

“He’s working hard,” wide receivers coach Todd Downing added on Diggs. He also pointed out that Diggs should have some familiarity with the 'new' offense he's learning after playing for former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who himself came up as a coach in the Patriots' system, working with wide receivers from 2002 to 2006, and then working directly under McDaniels as the tight ends coach from 2013 to 2016.

“I think there’s a little carryover with the stuff he did in Buffalo with Daboll back in the day," Downing pointed out. "So there’s a little bit of a refresher course. But yeah, he’s been working hard.”

"Obviously that stuff that you mentioned was not here. So, I really kept my focus on the guys that were here and trying to help them get better and become the players they want to be," Downing said, in regards to the boat video. “As far as the conversations with Stef – I’ll keep the stuff that we talk about between the two of us.”

Overall, the day felt like a step back in the right direction for Diggs after a chaotic week. Ian Rapoport noted on NFL Network that Diggs "showing up, getting in line, expressing what he needed to express to the team right to their faces was all a very good thing" and that "the team does not plan to cut Stefon Diggs," despite speculation last week.

"This is a player they want to keep, want to be making plays for them," Rapoport added. "And this was a step in the right direction."

Diggs' work with the team will continue over the next two weeks. The Patriots have two more OTA practices (both closed to the media) this week, then three mandatory minicamp practices (all open to the media) next week.