The New England Patriots are preparing for the upcoming 2025-26 season with plenty of new faces on the roster and coaching staff. Hopes are high for quarterback Drake Maye, as he is entering the second year of his career. And from the sounds of it, he's connecting early and often with new wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
With training camp right around the corner, Maye connected with Diggs, along with numerous other wideouts on the roster, to run routes and practice at a facility in Charlotte, North Carolina, according to Bernd Buchmasser of PatsPulpit. Wide receivers weren't the only individuals playing catch with Drake Maye, as Rhamondre Stevenson, Hunter Henry, and Joshua Dobbs arrived as well.
“Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne, Kyle Williams, and Ja’Lynn Polk were part of the action, as were running back Rhamondre Stevenson and tight end Hunter Henry. Backup QB Joshua Dobbs also participated.”
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Getting this work in before the start of training camp is an ideal situation for New England. Especially considering the Patriots' offense was ranked 30th in the league ahead of the preseason by ESPN's NFL insider Bill Barnwell. Building that chemistry early could be enough to ramp up the passing game enough for the offense to play above Barnwell's prediction.
Despite Barnwell's skepticism, there is plenty of hype surrounding Drake Maye. The 22-year-old quarterback has been praised by Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen several times this offseason. Additionally, Maye flashed some potential during his rookie campaign a season ago. Maye finished the 2024-25 season with 2,276 passing yards and 15 touchdowns while owning a 66.6% completion percentage through 13 games played.
A key difference coming into the 2025-26 campaign is that Maye will have Stefon Diggs to throw the ball to. Additionally, the Patriots managed to draft TreVeyon Henderson in the NFL Draft, who has the potential of providing a nice spark in the run game. Also, it doesn't hurt that Mike Vrabel is now the head coach of the organization he played for from 2001 through 2008.
a]:text-link [&_>a]:underline">Benedetto Vitale has nearly a decade of experience in sports journalism, with expertise in covering the NFL, NCAA Football, NBA, and UFC. The Oregon alumni resides in Corvallis, Oregon, and has previous bylines at BroBible and Athlon Sports.