JuJu Smith Schuster believes he’s at 100% for first time in Patriots tenure – Boston Herald
FOXBORO — The key to JuJu Smith-Schuster’s offseason was watching Netflix.
The veteran Patriots wide receiver needed rest. So, he sat on his couch and watched the historical romance television series, “Bridgerton.”
Smith-Schuster estimates he was at 60% at this time last year when the Patriots kicked off OTAs and he was still sidelined by a knee procedure he underwent after winning Super Bowl LVII with the Chiefs. Now, he’s finally at 100% for his first time in a Patriots uniform after focusing on rest this offseason.
“It’s a big difference,” Smith Schuster said Monday after OTAs. “It’s not easy coming off a knee injury and having a long season and coming back really short… I feel great, honestly. I feel great. I’ve never felt better. I’m just excited to finally be out here around this time and participating.”
Smith-Schuster said he never let his knee get up to 100% last season. And the Patriots’ practice approach didn’t make it any easier. Starters were expected to practice under head coach Bill Belichick. Veteran rest days were rare in Belichick’s 24-season tenure.
“I’ve always wanted to just push through and play,” Smith-Schuster said. “I had some injuries that I was dealing with and I just kept pushing through it and playing. That’s just the competitiveness in me. I don’t mind that. So this year it’s a lot different than how it was.”
The former Steeler and Chief’s first season in New England was a disappointment. Coming off of a 78-catch, 933-yard campaign with the Chiefs in 2022, Smith-Schuster signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the Patriots last offseason. He responded in his first season with just 29 catches for 260 yards with a touchdown in 11 games with seven starts. He wound up sixth in receiving yards behind rookie DeMario Douglas, tight end Hunter Henry, veteran receivers Kendrick Bourne and DeVante Parker and running back Ezekiel Elliott and finished the season on injured reserve.
Smith-Schuster believes injuries played a role in his lack of production.
“A part of it, being on the field and executing and building that chemistry, kind of being on and off,” Smith-Schuster said. “When you’re on the field and available to help the team, you definitely build that chemistry over time.”
Even after bringing back Bourne, signing veteran K.J. Osborn and selecting wide receivers Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker in the 2024 NFL Draft, PFF recently wrote that the Patriots have the weakest wide receiver group in the NFL.
Still, Smith-Schuster is “very encouraged” by his position room, which also includes Douglas, veteran Jalen Reagor, 2022 second-round pick Tyquan Thornton and 2023 sixth-round pick Kayshon Boutte.
“Very excited about our room. We have a lot of great players, a lot of good guys that could play every position,” Smith-Schuster said. “For us, it’s just going out here and making plays and executing as a group.”
Bourne, Douglas, Osborn, Polk and Baker are leading candidates to make the Patriots’ 53-man roster, so Smith-Schuster is likely competing for a spot with Reagor, Thornton and Boutte, among others.
