FOXBORO — It didn’t take long for new Patriots wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster to become a focal point in the offense.
Smith-Schuster didn’t practice in front of reporters this spring — he says he now feels “amazing” after the five-week break between practices — but has been a full participant in the offense through the first two days of training camp.
He led all pass-catchers with five targets in Thursday’s practice, catching two of them from quarterback Mac Jones while beating young cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez and Marcus Jones, both of whom were thrust into top roles. Smith-Schuster downplayed the volume of targets Thursday after practice, however.
“I think every day is different,” Smith-Schuster said. “You just never know. When your number’s called, you gotta make the plays. Some days, some guys might get more, some guys might get less. There’s only one football. You have so many guys that are talented on this team, so it just goes to show that when the ball is your way, make your play.”
Head coach Bill Belichick is high on his new wide receiver based on comments he made Thursday before Day 2 of training camp.
Belichick went as far as to say that Smith-Schuster has influenced some of what the Patriots are doing on offense.
“JuJu’s great to work with, really smart kid,” Belichick said before practice. “He’s experienced, done a lot of different things. Merging them into some of the things that we do. Some of those are the same, some are different. Some are new.
“Some things that he’s doing we’re incorporating into what we’re doing, because he’s had success with them. He’s great to work with. Always ready to go, very alert, very attentive, smart kid. Glad we have him.”
That’s likely some of the concepts Smith-Schuster has thrived under in his past offenses rather than a specific route or drill.
Smith-Schuster’s “football intelligence is really high,” a team source said.
The Patriots view Smith-Schuster with inside-outside versatility (in that order), per a source. They chose to sign Smith-Schuster to a three-year, $25.5 million contract over bringing Jakobi Meyers back in free agency because they felt he brought more big-play potential and was better after the catch.
The 26-year-old wide receiver is honored to be the next in line to play that slot position, following in the footsteps of players like Troy Brown, Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola and Meyers.
“I don’t think there’s any pressure. If anything, I embrace the pressure,” Smith-Schuster said. “I love it. And yes, you are right. The slot position has been a big tradition here with Troy to Edelman and to all these great guys who have been in the position. It’s an honor to play that position. To be able to play inside-outside, moving around, but having that opportunity to say that I’m on the inside is really nice. It’s a compliment.”
For most of his career, Smith-Schuster has primarily played in the slot. He played 69.9 percent of his passing snaps in the slot from 2017 to 2021 with the Pittsburgh Steelers, topping out at 85.3 percent in 2020. His role changed last season with the Kansas City Chiefs, however. He suddenly played just 42.1 percent of his snaps out of the slot with the rest coming out wide. He had the second-most productive season of his career, catching 78 passes for 933 yards with three touchdowns.
He is a different body type than the typical Patriots slot receiver, however. He measures in at 6-foot-1, 215 pounds while players like Brown, Edelman, Amendola and Welker all were shorter than 6 feet.
“He is JuJu, he’s not Julian, he’s not any of these other guys,” Patriots director of player personnel Matt Groh said Wednesday after Day 1 of training camp. “He’s got the production and the career to stand amongst himself. JuJu is JuJu. He’s going to go out here and be himself and I look forward to seeing him have a productive season.”
The veteran wideout is coming off of a Super Bowl win with the Chiefs, and as crazy as it sounds — since the Patriots last won a Super Bowl just five years ago — he’s one of a handful of players on the team with a ring.
Because of that, and his experience, quarterback Mac Jones believes Smith-Schuster can help lead a receiver group that includes two second-year players and four rookies.
“JuJu loves football and you can see the juice that he brings,” Jones said. “He’s definitely really embraced everything; he’s working really hard, always doing the right thing, so we just got to be consistent. I know that he can bring that veteran leadership; that’s one of the guys I’m talking about when I say, “played a lot of snaps in the NFL.” So, just to hear his experience, whether it’s with other quarterbacks, coordinators or against other defenses, it’s really cool just because I like to pick people’s brains as well. So, I’m really happy to have him and the guys that we have in that room.”
Smith-Schuster and DeVante Parker are slotted in as two of the Patriots’ starting wide receivers. Toss in running back Rhamondre Stevenson and tight end Hunter Henry, and the team has just one more starting spot between veteran wide receivers Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton and tight end Mike Gesicki. Rookie Demario Douglas is a dark horse to start at wide receiver, as well. If he emerges, Smith-Schuster would likely take on a bigger role outside.