Patriots

Report: Patriots’ Juju Smith-Schuster is expected to be ready for training camp

After missing OTAs and mandatory minicamp, Smith-Schuster says he'll be ready for training camp next week.

By Khari Thompson

July 18, 2023

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The wait to see Juju Smith-Schuster catch passes in a Patriots uniform may be drawing to a close.

According to Nicole Yang of The Boston Globe, Smith-Schuster said he’ll be ready to practice at Patriots training camp next week. Smith-Schuster traveled to Massachusetts on Monday, and veterans are scheduled to report to camp on July 25, Yang reports.

Smith-Schuster is coming off of his best season since his lone Pro Bowl appearance in 2018, when he caught 78 passes for 933 yards and three touchdowns.

Smith-Schuster missed OTAs and mandatory minicamp after signing a 3-year, $33-million deal with the Patriots during the offseason. He’s been dealing with a knee injury that he suffered in the AFC title game, according to multiple reports.

Smith- Schuster played through the injury in the Super Bowl, catching 7 passes for 53 yards in the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory. It was Smith-Schuster’s first Super Bowl title and the second in four years for Kansas City.

Smith-Schuster’s championship experience and “football nerd” tendencies are two reasons quarterback Mac Jones is excited to play with the 6-foot-1, 215-pound receiver, Jones said in June.

The Patriots’ offensive struggles last season have been well documented. The Patriots attempted to address this by hiring Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator and bringing in weapons such as Smith-Schuster and Mike Gesicki.

While he hasn’t practiced with the team during any open media sessions, Smith-Schuster told Yang that he’s seeing improvement from the offensive unit.

“You can just feel the atmosphere of the energy getting better,” Smith-Schuster said. “I thought at first it was a little bit slow, but now it’s a lot faster. It’s more uptempo, more pace, and it’s really, really nice.”

The Patriots have confirmed open practices during training camp on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of next week, according to the team’s website.