CINCINNATI – Stefon Diggs has been there before. He understands the pain and the struggle that follows. That’s why it hurt so much to see Will Campbell carted off the field inside Paycor Stadium with a knee injury in Sunday’s win.
A year ago, Diggs suffered a torn ACL on Oct. 28. What followed was a brief mourning period before the Pro Bowl receiver decided to put everything he had into his rehabilitation. What transpired was a remarkable recovery. Diggs started training camp on time and then the regular season with the Patriots.
Now, the receiver looks like the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year. Diggs hopes Campbell doesn’t have to follow the same story.
“I hope he’s back. I hope it’s not as bad as we think,” said Diggs, who added the advice he’d give the rookie. “Just stay poised. Obviously, you’re going to go through it. I felt sorry for myself for months at a time. Did a lot of crying about it. At one point, you’re going to have to make a decision and just get back on the grind. The only thing that saved me was the grind.”
Campbell has provided a much-needed presence at left tackle. That position has been a lowlight for the Patriots over the last several seasons. It’s why the Patriots locked onto Campbell with the No. 4 pick last spring.
This season, the rookie started all 12 games, stabilizing Drake Maye’s blindside. That’s why it was so gut-wrenching to see him suffer a knee injury at 4:58 of the third quarter. Campbell covered his head with a towel while being carted off the field and into the locker room.
The injury happened two quarters after the Patriots lost rookie left guard Jared Wilson to an ankle injury. The third-round pick left Cincinnati with a walking boot on his right foot and needed a gray walking cane to get around.
Diggs said that going through like this is difficult mentally for first-year players.
“It’s tough. I got hurt in college before, so I had a little bit of experience with it. But I’d say you never get used to it,” Diggs said. “It’s like the world comes crashing down. The moment you feel like Superman, it’s kind of like God took him from you a little bit. So praise be to God, I’m saying he’ll bring you back from it. I know it’s going to be hard on those young guys, especially if they’ve never dealt with being injured before. But fingers crossed that it’s not as bad as we think. And I’m pulling for them.”
For Diggs, suffering the knee injury came with different issues at age 31. He understood that a serious knee injury could’ve meant the end of his career. The receiver was able to overcome the mental hurdles, and this season has provided the Patriots with a No.1 receiver.
He’s also proof that Campbell can overcome whatever his diagnosis ends up being.
“I hope it’s not as bad as that, but it’s more mental for me... Things being snatched from you at a waking moment. So, I kind of had to deal with that,” Diggs said. “That process has a way of breaking you down, you know, building you up so you can go as fast as your knee will let you. So it kind of teaches you a lot of patience as well. For me, speaking from personal experience, it was extremely rough. You know, I thank God every day at this point because it could have went another way.”
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