This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/patriots as Patriots' Stefon Diggs Hit With Sobering Reality Check. The New England Patriots entered the offseason knowing they desperately needed help at wide receiver, so they definitely made a concerted effort to address the gaping hole.

With Stefon Diggs just 10 months removed from his ACL injury, it was not really a surprise the 31-year-old receiver didn't play for the Patriots in the team's preseason opener Friday night. But an extremely cryptic answer from head coach Mike Vrabel suggests Diggs' absence against the Washington Commanders was not only a health-related decision.