The New England Patriots signed JuJu Smith-Schuster to a three-year, $25.5 million deal over the summer. He immediately became Mac Jones' No. 1 target and the Patriots' top wideout. That is, on paper at least. Not so much in practice.
New England lost its first game of the season, a 25-20 nail-biter against the visiting Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles got off to a fast start but the Patriots made it competitive. Smith-Schuster was not uninvolved — four catches for 33 yards — but with a chance to win the game in the waning moments of the fourth quarter, he was standing on the sidelines.
Instead, Bill Belichick went to rookies Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas for the Patriots' two-minute drill. It was an odd choice, which led to speculation that Smith-Schuster was potentially hurt. Why else would New England not put its best playmaker on the field in a critical moment?
Well, after the game, Bill Belichick was purposefully evasive with the media. That's not new, but his point was clear as day.
Bill Belichick refuses to explain JuJu Smith-Schuster's benching in New England Patriots opener
"We had different groups, different rotations, so we're good with whoever is in there," Belichick told reporterswhen asked about Smith-Schuster's conspicuous fourth-quarter absence.
When pushed about the wide receiver's conditioning, Belichick kept his response blunt.
"I think he and the team are in good condition."
Belichick also played coy when asked about a potential injury, citing the injury reports for Sunday and Wednesday (neither of which Smith-Schuster appeared on).
So, while Belichick stopped short of say "we didn't think Smith-Schuster was the best option," it's clear the wideout was completely healthy and available — the coaching staff simply decided to go with "different groups," as Belichick stated.
After the game, Smith-Schuster all but confirmed that line of thinking to Chris Mason of MassLive.
"It was different personnel for the two-minute, that's what they went with."
The Patriots' offense struggled for large portions of last Sunday's game and stalled on the final drive as Smith-Schuster watched. Mac Jones looked more like his rookie-season self — 316 yards and three touchdowns on 64.8 completion percentage — but Smith-Schuster hardly lived up to his No. 1 receiver billing.
He still has plenty of time to right the ship, but it's curious to see how uninvolved he was in Belichick's game plan down the stretch. Smith-Schuster is coming off an admirable 933-yard campaign with the Chiefs, the second-highest yards total of his NFL career. At 26 years old, he's theoretically right in the middle of his athletic prime.
The Patriots host the Miami Dolphins, an explosive offensive group, on Sunday Night Football this week. If ever there was a matchup for Smith-Schuster to break out and get into the good graces of his head coach, this is it. His playing time and target share are worth monitoring.