The New England Patriots could receive a boost to their offence in their season opener on Sunday, as head coach Mike Vrabel said wide receiver Stefon Diggs is expected to play against the Las Vegas Raiders, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Diggs signed a three-year contract with the Patriots in March worth $69 million after he was cut by the Houston Texans in the offseason.

The veteran suffered a torn ACL that required surgery to repair in the team's Week 8 contest against the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 27.

Diggs, 31, recovered from the surgery at a surprising rate - even faster than the Patriots initially imagined - as Rapoport indicated that Diggs achieved a contract bonus by passing his physical and being listed as active for the season opener.

The 11th-year receiver spent last year with the Texans after four seasons with the Buffalo Bills in which he was named to a Pro Bowl in all four campaigns. He caught 47 passes for 496 yards and three touchdowns with the Texans.

Diggs was acquired by the Bills ahead of the 2020 seasons in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings and immediately achieved superstar status, pairing with burgeoning QB Josh Allen to lead the league in catches (127) and receiving yards (1,535) in his first season in Buffalo en route to being named First-Team All-Pro for the only time in his career.

Perhaps the most famous highlight of Diggs' NFL career came in the Divisional Round of the 2017 playoffs while the receiver was with the Vikings. On the final play of the game, Diggs broke wide open down the sideline and scored the game-winning 61-yard touchdown to send the Vikings past the New Orleans Saints 29-24.

In 144 career NFL games, the Gaithersburg, MD native has 857 catches with 10,491 yards and 70 touchdowns.