Patriots receive concerning injury update on JuJu Smith-Schuster

The New England Patriots were on a mission this offseason to upgrade the weapons of their offense. They came away from free agency feeling good about the additions they made, which included tight end Mike Gesicki and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Gesicki is someone the Patriots have seen plenty of the last four seasons as he played with the Miami Dolphins. Smith-Schuster also has multiple appearances against New England from his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs.

The USC product will be counted on heavily by the Patriots, as he is taking over their No. 1 receiver role. It was previously occupied by Jakobi Meyers, but he signed with Patriots-West, agreeing to a contract with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Smith-Schuster bet on himself in free agency in 2022, signing a one-year deal with the Chiefs. He produced, having his best season since 2018 when he was playing opposite Antonio Brown.

In New England, he is a very good fit as he is willing to do the little things that are required by Bill Belichick. He should receive plenty of opportunities to put up big numbers as the Patriots are lacking a true No. 1 option in the passing game.

However, it is anyone’s guess when we will see him on the field. He didn’t take part in the team’s voluntary practices, but it may not be by choice. According to NFL Network’s Mike Girardi via NFL Rumors on Twitter, Smith-Schuster is still dealing with a knee injury suffered in 2022.