OTL: Can You Diggs It?

The Baltimore Ravens have yet to sign their annual veteran wide receiver.

A year ago, it was DeAndre Hopkins. The three seasons before that, it was Nelson Agholor, Odell Beckham Jr. and DeSean Jackson. It is becoming a yearly tradition that the team adds a veteran presence, typically a former star player, to their pass catching corps.

Will this offseason be any different?

Baltimore’s lone additions to the wide receiver room came on draft day when they added USC’s Ja’Kobi Lane and Indiana’s Elijah Sarratt with consecutive selections in the third and fourth rounds.

Does that mean they are out on a potential veteran route runner in 2026?

Possibly, but signs suggest that one free agent could offer a potential fit as we edge closer to the start of training camp in late July.

Identifying Stefon Diggs As A Fit

Back on March 4, the New England Patriots announced they were releasing veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs after just one season with the team. From the jump, the Ravens were tagged as a possible destination for the 32-year-old.

NFL.com’s Nick Shook and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler quickly linked the two parties within a month of his release from the reigning AFC champions. Of course, that was before general manager Eric DeCosta added two more weapons to the team’s arsenal in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Recent social media chatter has sparked “Diggs to Baltimore” conversations back up once again.

#Ravens are the favorite to land WR Stefon Diggs #RavensFlock

— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) June 22, 2026

Though no source is listed for Baltimore’s supposed favoritism as the destination for Diggs (as is usually the case with X accounts like these that specialize in spreading rumors), the Ravens are listed the betting favorite to land the veteran on the rising sports betting market, Kalshi (31% chance).

Geography may also benefit a potential pursuit of Diggs, who is a native of Gaithersburg, Maryland and played college football for the Maryland Terrapins. Everybody loves a homecoming story, right?

Diggs, a four-time Pro-Bowler, is coming off the seventh 1,000-yard season of his 11-year NFL career. The former fifth-round draft pick posted 1,013 yards and four touchdowns on 85 catches during New England’s run to Super Bowl LX. Ravens Flock should be all too familiar with the 32-year-old after he carved up Baltimore’s defense for 138 receiving yards in the brutal Week 16 loss to the Patriots.

The former Terrapin averages 102.0 receiving yards per game in three contests against the Ravens during his career.

Last season, he became the first New England wide receiver to record at least 1,000 receiving yards in a single season since Julian Edelman in 2019.

Newly signed safety Jaylinn Hawkins, who spent the last two seasons of his career with the Patriots, also recently attempted to recruit Diggs to the Charm City via Instagram, a mention that generated plenty of gossip on social media.

New Ravens S Jaylinn Hawkins, a former Patriot, is recruiting free-agent WR Stefon Diggs to Baltimore, and Diggs seems open to the idea pic.twitter.com/NwCZ48vqdF

— Football Forever (@fballforeverhq) May 11, 2026

Prior to his short stay in Foxborough, Diggs spent the 2024 season with the Houston Texans, a campaign that was cut in half by a torn ACL. Before that, he notched four consecutive Pro-Bowl appearances and his first career All-Pro nod in four seasons with the Buffalo Bills.

Ranking 14th among wide receivers in yards after catch a season ago (363), Diggs is a precise route runner who excels once the football is in his hands. He has proven he still possesses the tools to be a weapon in the league and his experience could bring another level of diversity to Baltimore’s offense.

So, one question remains: Is he worth it?

Is Diggs Worth It?

The first and most important cause for concern when talking about Diggs are his off-field issues. The 11-year veteran was accused of strangulation and assault and battery back in December, a troubling development as the Patriots were months away from a Super Bowl appearance.

Though he was later found not guilty during a trial in May, he simply may not be worth the headache.

One also has to consider the context of Baltimore’s wide receiver corps.

While it did not change much over the course of the offseason, the team did elect to let Hopkins walk in free agency in favor of the two new rookies. Hopkins, 34, was signed to the Ravens for his contested-catching ability, something that both of Baltimore’s new rookie additions have shown efficiency in throughout their college careers.

The emergence of Zay Flowers as an elite NFL wide receiver has also added much-needed security to the team’s pass catching core. Flowers collected a career-high 1,211 receiving yards on 86 receptions a season ago. Paired with Baltimore’s other clear top receiver, Rashod Bateman, the starting duo appears set in stone.

The Ravens also have Devontez Walker in their back pocket. Entering his third NFL season, Walker is expected by coaches and analysts to have a serious increase in usage next season after making the most of his minimal opportunities in 2025. The 25-year-old scored a touchdown on three of his six receptions during the season. Perhaps a breakout is on the horizon for the former Tar Heel. Another set of hands in the room would pose a serious obstacle to that possibility.

The yearly tradition of Baltimore adding a long-time veteran wide receiver is also seeming like more of a John Harbaugh practice than a Ravens practice. Since becoming the head coach of the New York Giants, Harbaugh has already added Beckham, who played for him in 2023 with the Ravens, Juju Smith-Schuster and Braxton Berrios.

Was the constant recycling of an experienced wide receiver even a DeCosta thing, or did that custom leave with its former head coach?

With Harbaugh gone and a new coaching staff in charge, spearheaded by 43-year-old first-time head coach Jesse Minter, Baltimore’s wide receiver room has never been younger. It begs the question: Do the Ravens even need to add veteran depth anymore?

Or, is it time to start betting on the young guys to make strides for two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson?

The Realistic Truth

Fans have had mixed reactions all offseason to the potential pairing of Diggs and the Ravens. Some prefer the team to utilize its young talent and refrain from potentially stunting their development, while others feel the fit and experience would add an extra level of insurance to a room that has historically struggled.

If I had to guess, you will not see Diggs suit up in purple and black come Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season. The risk simply does not outweigh the reward.

Would he improve the floor of the Ravens pass-catching unit upon joining them? Probably.

Would he be better than Baltimore’s long list of past veteran WR3’s (Hopkins, Agholor, Beckham, Jackson, etc.)? Probably.

Is signing him worth slicing the playing time of some possibly promising young options? Probably not.

Will he be substantially better than those young options in 2026 to the point where their playing time needs to be reduced to make room for him? Probably not.

If he were to join the team, he would likely see an eerily similar target share as Hopkins, who received a career-low 39 targets with the Ravens last year. For context, Diggs has never received fewer than 50 targets in a full season, so that prospect may not be something the veteran would be on board with.

However, many writers and analysts believe the two parties could be suitors for each other, preaching the fit since the day he was released. The prospect of adding Diggs remains a possibility if the front office deems a veteran presence necessary, but DeCosta and company should not be actively seeking out a homecoming for the veteran.

Though, if the team does end up electing to add an experienced weapon closer to the start of training camp, keep an eye on Diggs to be one of the top candidates for that role.

Do you think the Ravens should add Diggs before training camp?

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