The Stefon Diggs Commanders signing became official Wednesday. News broke that the veteran wide receiver would join the Washington Commanders after a long wait on the free agent market. For more NFL breakdowns, check out this article by us here.
Signings at this point of the NFL offseason are typically players who go on to have little impact on their new team. The questions is whether the twelve-year veteran wide receiver can prove to be an outlier?
Stefon Diggs ACL Injury: How It Impacted His Value And Patriots Contract
Oct 27, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs (1) walks towards the sideline before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images/
Diggs entered the 2024 season at 31 years old, and tore his ACL in week Eight. This injury significantly lowered his value on the open market.
As a result, Diggs’s best option was to sign a three-year $69 million contract with the New England Patriots the following offseason. That contract only came with $26 million guaranteed, was front-loaded, and gave New England an out after the first year.
Stefon Diggs Bounce-Back Season: Stats, Rankings, and Efficiency
New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs, right, runs past Buffalo Bills safety Cole Bishop (24) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 5, 2025, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Diggs faced many questions about whether he could even remotely bounce back from the ACL tear. He went on to have a season better than many expected, catching 85 of 102 targets for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns.
Among 196 qualifying receivers who received at least 20 targets this past season, Diggs ranked 16th in receiving yards. In advanced metrics, the four-time Pro Bowler had excellent numbers across the board.
Diggs recorded a yards per route run, or YYPR of 2.41, ranking ninth in the league, to go with an 83.33% catch rate that ranked fifth in the NFL. He produced a fifth ranking in total EPA at 67.81, and his 0.66 EPA per target landed him 10th in the league. Diggs also recorded a PFF grade of 87.5, the sixth best mark out of 81 qualifying wide receivers.
Stefon Diggs Commanders Signing: Why He Changes Everything The Wide Receiver Room
Jul 28, 2025; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) makes a one handed catch during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images/
Calling the Diggs Commanders signing a mere wide receiver two-upgrade is an understatement. He’s a massive improvement over the other options Washington had on the roster before.
Treylon Burks can provide some splash plays here and there, but he hasn’t proven to be anything more than a first-round bust. Burks has cracked over 400 yards since his rookie season in 2022, where he slightly eclipsed that mark with 444 receiving yards. He’s also proven to be injury prone, failing to play 11 games or more in any season since his rookie year.
Dyami Brown doesn’t have the injury concerns of Burks, but similar to the former first-round pick, Brown hasn’t been especially productive. He’s topped over 300 yards just once in his career, coming in 2024.
Brown is at best a wide receiver three, but ideally, he’d ranked fourth on the wide receiver depth chart. He serves as a deep threat specialist, and the Commanders shouldn’t expect him to be more than that.
Washington’s fourth-round pick from the 2025 draft, Jaylin Lane, is coming off a rookie season that left a lot to be desired. Lane caught just 16 receptions for 225 yards, and zero touchdowns. His advanced metrics were also underwhelming; out of 196 qualifying receivers, he ranked 135th in YYPR, 175th in catch rate, 177th in total EPA, and 184th in EPA per target.
Stefon Diggs Commanders Signing: The Red Flags
Jul 28, 2025; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) runs after the catch during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images/
Diggs being let go by the Patriots and sitting on the free agent market for this long happened for a reason. His antics regarding the game itself raise concerns. They include outbursts on the sidelines when he feels underutilized in the offense, to cryptic tweets that leave fans wondering what has him frustrated. He also has had his off-the-field drama, where he was charged with felony strangulation during December of this past season.
A video this past summer also surfaced on social media of Diggs partying on a yacht. He was surrounded by a group of women that he later handed an unidentified pink substance.
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End Of My Commanders Signing Stefon Diggs Rant
Washington Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs works out during practice at the team’s NFL football training camp in Ashburn, Va., Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. Nick Wass
The Commanders’ signing of Diggs is a low-risk, high-reward move. He’s likely to finish with 70-80 catches, over 800 yards, and five touchdowns this season.
Diggs will prove to be a good wide receiver two and complement to the team’s star wide receiver, Terry McLaurin. It’s just as likely that Diggs will give Washington headaches on or off the field.
If Diggs’ on-the-field production isn’t worth the drama that comes with him, the Commanders can easily move on after this season. Simply put, Washington needed to find an answer at wide receiver outside of McLaurin. At this point of the NFL cycle, Diggs was likely the best option available.
