Ugly Practice Pushes JuJu Smith-Schuster Closer to Chopping Block

It has been an offseason of change in New England this past year. It's been from top to bottom within the organization but that's what you expect after how the past few years have gone down.

This offseason, the Patriots made an effort to add more talent on the offensive side. In 2023, they were 30th in the NFL in total offense (276.2) and 28th in pass offense (180.5).

That's not what they believed would have happened, especially after they inked Juju Smith-Schuster to a three-year, $33 million deal in March 2023.

Unfortunately, he didn't produce and his latest showing in practice continues to push him down the pecking order.

Patriots News: Juju Smith-Schuster Struggles in Practice

Per Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald, Smith-Schuster only caught one of his four targets in Sunday's non-padded practice.

He was even seen dropping a perfectly thrown pass from rookie quarterback Drake Maye.

New England certainly doesn't trust the former USC product, as they added Javon Baker, Ja'Lynn Polk, and K.J. Osborn in the offseason. They also re-signed Kendrick Bourne, further pushing Smith-Schuster down the depth chart.

In 11 games for New England last season, the 27-year-old had 29 receptions (47 targets) for 260 yards and just one touchdown.

Granted, he was coming off knee surgery last offseason, but he never looked good in a Pats uniform. Now that is trickling into this season but he won't be given the benefit of the doubt in 2024.

The 2017 second-round pick needs to step up his game or he'll be finding a job elsewhere.

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