Smith-Schuster didn't look explosive at spring practices even though he says he's healthier than he was last year, according to Chad Graff of The Athletic. Graff notes that Smith-Schuster may end up competing with Kayshon Boutte, Tyquan Thornton and Jalen Reagor for one or two roster spots, with the locks at WR likely being DeMario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne (knee), K.J. Osborn and rookies Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. The final math will partially depend on whether the Patriots keep Reagor as a kick return specialist or prefer to deploy a returner that also has a considerable role on offense (e.g. Douglas or RB Antonio Gibson). Either way, Smith-Schuster's guaranteed $7 million salary won't necessarily ensure him of a spot on the team after he had 260 receiving yards in 11 games last season. Knee surgery last offseason may have impacted his speed and strength, but it was head and ankle injuries that ultimately led to six absences.
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Smith-Schuster didn't look explosive at spring practices even though he says he's healthier than he was last year, according to Chad Graff of The Athletic. Graff notes that Smith-Schuster may end up competing with Kayshon Boutte, Tyquan Thornton and Jalen Reagor for one or two roster spots, with the locks at WR likely being DeMario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne (knee), K.J. Osborn and rookies Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. The final math will partially depend on whether the Patriots keep Reagor as a kick return specialist or prefer to deploy a returner that also has a considerable role on offense (e.g. Douglas or RB Antonio Gibson). Either way, Smith-Schuster's guaranteed $7 million salary won't necessarily ensure him of a spot on the team after he had 260 receiving yards in 11 games last season. Knee surgery last offseason may have impacted his speed and strength, but it was head and ankle injuries that ultimately led to six absences.
Smith-Schuster said Monday at the start of OTAs that he never reached 100 percent health during the 2023 season, Chris Mason of The Springfield Republican reports. Smith-Schuster said the last 12 months have made a "big difference," and he estimated that last offseason he was only at 60 percent health due to a lingering knee injury. Across 11 games in 2023, he was an afterthought in New England's offense, finishing with just a 29-260-1 receiving line despite little established competition at the position. If truly healthier and now able to move better, Smith-Schuster could earn more consistent targets from Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye, though the Patriots' wide receiver corps has gotten more crowded with the additions of rookies Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, plus free-agent addition K.J. Osborn.
Smith-Schuster's role with Patriots is unclear after the team selected a pair of wideouts in the 2024 NFL Draft, Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reports. Over the course of 11 regular-season games in his first year with the Patriots, Smith-Schuster recorded a 29-260-1 line on 47 targets in 2023. The veteran wideout is under contract with the team through 2025, and he's presumably past the ankle issue that landed him on IR in December. Even so, New England's additions of free agent K.J. Osborn and a pair of 2024 draftees (second-rounder Ja'Lynn Polk and fourth-rounder Javon Baker) to a wide receiver mix that also includes returnees Kendrick Bourne (knee) and Demario Douglas clouds Smith-Schuster's depth chart standing ahead of training camp. With that in mind, both Callahan and Chad Graff of The Athletic suggest that the 27-year-old pass catcher could end up moving on as the offseason progresses.
With DeVante Parker back after a two-game absence, Smith-Schuster maintained a key role in the Patriots' Week 12 wide receiver corps, but that didn't result in much production in an offense that continues to struggle. Regardless of whether Mac Jones or Bailey Zappe starts at QB this weekend against the Chargers, Smith-Schuster profiles as low-percentage fantasy option.
Additionally, DeVante Parker is in the NFL's concussion protocol, so the team's Week 9 WR depth could be further taxed. In any case, rookie Demario Douglas figures to maintain a key role in the weeks ahead, while Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutte and Jalen Reagor are also candidates to factor in. Through six games to date, Smith-Schuster has caught 15 of his 26 targets for 89 yards and a TD, but the Patriots' current injury situation could lead to the veteran wideout seeing an opportunity to become more involved in the offense as soon as Sunday's game against the Commanders.