Why Ex-Patriots WR Stefon Diggs Still Needs To Be On Panthers' Radar

The Carolina Panthers have signed a ton of free agents, but there are still plenty who could be nice upgrades. Stefon Diggs, perhaps surprisingly, is still available. The Panthers, despite the potential cost, should go after him.

There are a number of justifications for this, but one reason stands above the rest. The reason is simple: he doesn't drop the ball.

The Panthers should consider signing Stefon Diggs

New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) against the Seattle Seahawks | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

On the one hand, Stefon Diggs has played with young quarterbacks before. He was involved in helping C.J. Stroud and Drake Maye in their second years, with Maye nearly winning MVP. Giving him to Bryce Young would certainly help in a similar way.

But on the other hand, Diggs is just a good wide receiver. He played well in 2025 after returning from a torn ACL, so he showed that his knee isn't shot and he's still got plenty in the tank. And what he has in the tank is good hands.

📊 NFL WRs who posted a drop rate of 2.0% or lower in 2025 (min. 75 targets), per TruMedia:

🏈 Rashid Shaheed, SEA - 0.0%
🏈 A.J. Brown, PHI - 0.8%
🏈 Alec Pierce, IND - 1.2%
🏈 Nico Collins, HOU - 1.7%
🏈 Jaxon Smith-Njigba, SEA - 1.9%
🏈 Drake London, ATL - 1.9%
🏈 Stefon… pic.twitter.com/eSf8tzQDFW
— PFSN (@PFSN365) March 26, 2026

Per TruMedia, among wide receivers with at least 75 targets, Diggs ranked seventh with just a 2.0% drop rate. He doesn't drop the ball. That's something Young would absolutely benefit from, especially since his pass-catchers sort of do drop the ball.

Jalen Coker was good about not dropping the ball, but Tetairoa McMillan struggled in his rookie season. He posted an alarming 6.6% drop rate, although rookies tend to struggle in that area before improving there in subsequent years.

Ja'Tavion Sanders (2.9%), Xavier Legette (3.1%), Rico Dowdle (4.0%), Tommy Tremble (5.4%), and Chuba Hubbard (10.3%) all also struggled sometimes. Diggs would be an improvement in the hands department over everyone except Coker.

Young is pretty accurate, and he's got a good deep ball. The Panthers' receivers just don't help him out too often. In fact, they seem to let him down plenty, and Diggs is the type of receiver who won't do that as often.

It will cost the Panthers, although at this point, there seems to be little to no market for Diggs. Similar to Rasheed Walker, they could get him at a surprising rate. Still, they don't have much money, so they'd need to be frugal and creative.

New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) practices before the 2026 AFC Championship | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

But the benefit of having Diggs on the roster is undeniable. It would allow them to continue to slowly move on from Legette, who has been a bust in his NFL career. It would give them a third viable pass-catcher so the pressure's not only on McMillan and Coker.

McMillan, Coker, and Diggs would be a tough trio to guard, and Diggs isn't a big-bodied receiver like Coker and McMillan (and Legette, for that matter), so he'd provide a change of pace.

Will the Panthers sign him? Probably not, but it would be a good idea for their offense and for Bryce Young's continued development.