4 Patriots Fighting For Their Jobs After Free Agency
These four Patriots have difficult roads ahead to starting roles.
By Cem Yolbulan
The New England Patriots had a largely quiet offseason. They made a few free agency moves but nothing super splashy to write home about. All eyes for Patriots fans are on the 2024 NFL Draft. Who the franchise quarterback will be for the future is the only question on Pats fans' minds.
As we look forward to newcomers in Patriots uniforms, we are equally excited to see certain Patriots in reduced roles. The list includes these four players who have an uphill battle for playing time next season.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR
One of the priorities of the offseason for the Patriots was to upgrade the receiver corps. After putting some of the worst pass-catching groups in the NFL out there last season, the Patriots addressed the issue in free agency.
Perhaps Patriots fans were expecting more of a splash, but even moving on from DeVante Parker and bringing in K.J. Osborn should do wonders for the offensive unit.
Kendrick Bourne is returning from an injury and DeMario Douglas is going to get better in his second season. This makes JuJu Smith-Schuster's future with the organization a massive question mark.
Not only was Smith-Schuster almost unplayable last season, but he is also only entering the second year of a three-year, $33 million deal. That is why there was an expectation that the Patriots would cut him but considering that they don't need additional cap space, they decided against it.
It's hard to see the former Trojan standout have much of a role next season. He has plenty to prove ahead of next season to prove he is worthy of snaps.