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Mike Reiss
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs is cleared to practice for the first day of training camp Wednesday after passing his physical, head coach Mike Vrabel said.
Diggs tore his right ACL in Week 8 of last season with the Houston Texans.
“It’s just a testament to how hard he worked,” Vrabel said Tuesday.
Vrabel also said first-year defensive coordinator Terrell Williams, who had a “health scare” in late March and remained away from the team all spring, has returned.
“He’s been out on the field with us the last couple days. Players were excited to see him. I was excited to see him,” Vrabel said of Williams.
As for Diggs, Vrabel explained that he reported to the team Saturday as part of a group of rehabilitating players. The first indication that Diggs was cleared for practice came that day, when New England placed four players on the physically unable to perform list — and Diggs wasn’t one of them.
Diggs, 31, had practiced on a limited basis in the spring and said in June that he wasn’t yet 100 percent but close to it.
“I don’t see any limitations right now,” Vrabel said. “Is he going to take every single rep of every single period? No. I don’t think any player will, but I think we’re off to a good start and encouraged by what we saw here in the last couple days.”
In March, the Patriots signed Diggs to a free agent contract that included $26 million in bonuses and guaranteed money, projecting that his recovery would go smoothly and he could emerge as a potential No. 1 option for second-year quarterback Drake Maye.
Diggs joins veteran free agent signing Mack Hollins, third-year slot DeMario Douglas and 2025 third-round pick Kyle Williams atop the receiver depth chart, with a handful of others competing for roster spots — a group including Kayshon Boutte, Kendrick Bourne, and 2024 draft picks Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, among others.
Vrabel also said that he expects starting cornerback Carlton Davis III to be removed from the non-football injury list Wednesday, and veteran linebacker Jahlani Tavai to be removed from the physically unable to perform list that day.