New England Patriots' newest star has scary injury issue as knee could "explode"
The New England Patriots might regret their offseason signing of wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, whose knee could "explode" at any moment. The former Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs star underwent an offseason procedure but experienced swelling afterwards.
According to NFL insider Albert Breer, Smith-Schuster's knee is a serious issue. Speaking to NBC Sports Boston, he said: "Juju Smith-Shuster's knee is a mess. That thing could explode at any point." New England are aware of the issue and may decide to carry an extra receiver most weeks in case Smith-Schuster goes down.
The Patriots gave Smith-Schuster a three-year contract that guarantees him £12.7million ($16m) and could rise to £20.2m ($25.5m). The 26-year-old played in 16 regular-season games last campaign. His past knee injuries include a right patella sprain in 2019, a strain in 2020 and a bruise in 2022.
Smith-Schuster missed most of OTAs with reported knee soreness after signing with New England, and he played through pain in Kansas City's Super Bowl run. However, the Patriots haven't given him an injury designation ahead of their Week 1 game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The popular Draft Sharks Injury Guide, a statistical model that predicts injury risk based on past issues and setbacks for similar players, says there is a 73 per cent chance Smith-Schuster will miss at least two quarters of action in 2023. It's average simulation estimates the pass catcher will miss three or four games this year.
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Last week, Smith-Schuster responded to the people who have questioned the status of his knee. "I don't think my knee is a ticking time bomb," he told MassLive. "If anything, it's something that's getting stronger every day." Still, he admitted that his minor offseason knee procedure temporarily affected his training.
"From the clean up surgery, and traveling to Japan after the Super Bowl, I needed some time," he said. "There was some swelling after a six-hour flight, but it's good now. It feels great. I haven't missed practice since [training camp started]."
JuJu Smith-Schuster has denied his surgically repaired knee is a significant concern. (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)The Patriots have bet that his upside is worth the risk. He's surpassed 800 receiving yards four times in his six-year career and could give quarterback Mac Jones the reliable target he needs to bounce back from a troublesome second NFL season.
"JuJu really does have a good understanding of football," Jones told reporters at the start of the offseason. "I feel like he's really bought into the offense, he's always studying and things like that, just like everybody else. He's done a really good job.
"We've gotten some reps together and a lot of that is - he's working through some things - so we're always talking about the offense and certain plays that he likes. I think that's good. The conversations always help, just to see it how he sees it. He's played a lot of football in this league and I've been picking his brain both ways. It's been good."
New England have a brutal early season schedule, and Smith-Schuster's presence will be crucial for the first four weeks. The Patriots open their campaign with games against the Eagles, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys - all strong playoff contenders.
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