Patriots Reportedly Have Concerning View Of JuJu Smith-Schuster

JuJu Smith-Schuster was not listed on the Patriots’ first injury report of Week 2, signaling that he was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice.

On one hand, that was a positive sign. It meant Smith-Schuster, whose knee has been highly scrutinized since he injured it in last season’s AFC Championship Game, isn’t dealing with any active injury.

But on the other, it meant Bill Belichick’s choice to keep him off the field in the closing minutes of New England’s 25-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday was purely a football decision — which might be even more concerning than the alternative.

Smith-Schuster, whom the Patriots signed this offseason to be an upgrade over reliable top receiver Jakobi Meyers, did not play a snap on the team’s last-gasp final drive Sunday in Foxboro, Mass. With the Patriots needing a touchdown to upset the defending NFC champions, they chose to roll with Kendrick Bourne and rookies Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte as their three receivers.

“We had different groups, different rotations,” Belichick said after the game. “So we’re good with whoever is in there.”

The Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan on Thursday reported “(m)ultiple team sources believe Smith-Schuster is not presently among the team’s five most effective pass-catchers” — a damning indictment for a player New England just gave a three-year, $25.5 million contract.

Smith-Schuster ranked a distant third among Patriots receivers in Week 1 snaps, logging 43 compared to Bourne’s 73 and Boutte’s 55. Douglas, a training camp standout, played 33 and could push for more in the coming weeks.

The Patriots also were without starting “X” receiver DeVante Parker, who’s likely to take over most or all of Boutte’s playing time once he returns from a knee injury.

Smith-Schuster had one important third-down conversion to extend the Patriots’ first touchdown drive Sunday, but he later had a drop on another third down and ran a poor route on a failed fourth-and-3 conversion late in the game.

“Yes, he did the right thing,” receivers coach Ross Douglas said Tuesday when asked about the fourth-down play. “Could it have been better to where it would have been more advantageous to us on offense? Absolutely.”

Smith-Schuster finished with four catches on seven targets for 33 yards and lacked explosiveness — a result, Callahan’s sources indicated, of his knee still not being “100%.” In a much-publicized report earlier this month, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer called the wideout’s knee “a ticking time bomb” that “could explode at any time.” Despite those concerns, Smith-Schuster hasn’t missed a practice since the start of training camp and has yet to appear on the Patriots’ injury report.

Bourne looked like the Patriots’ No. 1 receiver against Philadelphia, leading the team in snaps and targets (11) and catching six passes for 64 yards and two touchdowns. He wasn’t perfect — his third-and-12 incompletion late in the game should have been caught — but it’s hard to imagine New England dropping him behind Smith-Schuster on the depth chart for this Sunday night’s matchup with the Miami Dolphins.

Parker also should retake his starting job once healthy. Based on his skill set and track record, he probably would have made at least one of the three catches Boutte failed to pull down against Philly, all of which could have been game-changers.

The Patriots will continue to feature tight ends Hunter Henry (5-56-1 in Week 1) and Mike Gesicki (just three targets, but all resulting in first downs), as well, leaving Smith-Schuster in a tricky spot. His usage moving forward will be a major storyline for New England’s offense.

Meyers, by the way, caught nine of his 10 targets for 81 yards and two touchdowns in his Las Vegas Raiders debut before leaving with a concussion.