Before Mike Vrabel launched himself into a fight between New England Patriots and Washington Commanders players, the most notable storyline at the start of Wednesday’s joint practice was the absence of star wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
Diggs had yet to miss a practice since the start of training camp despite being just nine months removed from a torn ACL he suffered last October. So, when the veteran wideout wasn’t spotted on the field when Wednesday’s practice began, some wondered if an issue popped up regarding his knee.
Diggs took the field about 45 minutes into the session, however, and participated in the rest of practice after a brief warmup. According to our Patriots Insider Phil Perry, Diggs’ late arrival was all part of the team’s plan for the 31-year-old and wasn’t related to any on- or off-field issue.
“My understanding is that was pre-planned, and they’re trying to limit some reps for a veteran guy,” Perry said on the latest Patriots Talk Podcast. “So, nothing apparently physically going on there.”
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While Vrabel mentioned on the first day of training camp that Diggs would have “no limitations,” he also admitted the four-time Pro Bowler wouldn’t “take every single rep of every single period,” suggesting the Patriots may look for opportunities to manage Diggs’ workload.
That’s a smart approach considering Diggs is still less than 10 months removed from ACL surgery. And considering Wednesday’s practice was New England’s first against another opponent — which often means more contact and more competitive drills — it makes sense that Vrabel and Co. would want to manage Diggs’ workload in that setting.
“There will be some players who aren’t out there for individual (drills), there will be some players who are just out there for team (drills), there will be players who are just taking some specific reps. And my job is to manage that each and every day,” Vrabel said at the start of camp.
Diggs still has plenty of time to ramp up to full speed, and it’s unlikely he’ll see much action (if any) in Friday night’s preseason game against the Washington Commanders. The Patriots travel to Minnesota next week for a pair of joint practices with the Vikings, though, so perhaps Diggs will see a larger share of competitive action then.
Also in this episode:
Mike Vrabel breaks up fight, leaves bloodied
Drake Maye vs. Jayden Daniels
Christian Barmore’s best day of camp