The New England Patriots have spent a large chunk of their offseason working on beefing up their wide receiver room for second-year quarterback Drake Maye.
While we still won’t see the results of the front office’s hard work for another few months, it looks like several of the team’s top pass-catchers are bonding and putting in some serious work behind the scenes.
Over the past few months, the Patriots have signed Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins in free agency, while also selecting Kyle Williams in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft.
These guys join a group that features Demario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne, Kayshon Boutte, Ja’Lynn Polk, and Javon Baker, making it perhaps the most tightly contested position battle on the roster ahead of the new season.
Not all of these guys will make the final roster, but it looks like Diggs, Douglas, and Hollins are probably locks at the position heading into mandatory minicamp.
Story continues below advertisement
With that in mind, Patriots fans will be pumped to see these three guys working out together in an effort to get themselves in the best shape possible for the new campaign.
Even though he’s working his way back from a torn ACL, Diggs is expected to become Maye’s new top target in the passing game. While he recently found himself at the center of a controversial boat incident, New England has big plans for Diggs, considering the fact that they signed him to a three-year, $69 million contract in free agency.
Douglas was New England’s top wide receiver last season, and while there is quite a bit of competition at this spot, he should be safe during training camp. In 2024, Douglas caught 66 passes for 621 yards and four touchdowns.
Story continues below advertisement
After a strong finish to the 2024 season with the Buffalo Bills, Hollins earned himself a nice two-year, $8.4 million contract in free agency. While that’s not a major investment, the Patriots signed him with the intention of having him on their initial 53-man roster.
Anything can happen, but it seems like these three guys are trending towards being New England’s leaders at the wide receiver position. And if that ends up being the case, the work they are putting in together now could yield some great rewards once they take the field together for regular-season action.
