The Patriots Get Their WR1 They Need in Juju Smith-Schuster
For God & Country, Geronimo! Geronimo! Geronimo!
Our long, regional nightmare is over. Or at least at the beginning of the end. Getting Juju Smith-Schuster to replace Jakobi Meyers and become the first true No. 1 wideout this franchise has been looking for might not solve all their roster issues, but it's a hell of a nice start. Especially after 2 1/2 days of watching the rest of the NFL sign away the top talent. Not to mention it's the Pats getting into the arms race that's been going on in the AFC East. We finally have someone who can line up opposite Jalen Ramsey in the Miami games and give you - and more importantly, Mac Jones - confidence he'll win that matchup.
Sure, some will ask why they'd let Meyers go after he's been so dependable in order to spent the same money on Smith-Schuster. As a matter of fact, I'm having this very conversation with a distraught Dave Portnoy as I'm typing this. The only explanation is that both GM Belichick and HC Belichick believe he can be the true WR1 he was in Pittsburgh in 2018 (111 catches, 1,426 yards, 7 TDs), and not the WR1 by default that Meyers was. And as a reminder, even the JSS Kansas City had last year as the No. 2 option behind Travis Kelce put up 73 receptions for 933 yards. Albeit in the league's best offense. But no one, not even the most shameless Patriots fanboy (I raise my hand) could imagine Meyers coming close to those numbers.
One thing that no one can dispute is that this represents and upgrade in pure athleticism at a position that desperately needed it. Smith-Schuster is 6-foot-1, 215 pounds, with 4.54 speed. Surprisingly, given how long he's been around, he doesn't even turn 27 until around Thanksgiving. Which makes him a few weeks younger than Meyers. He can also go from outside the numbers (532 snaps last year) to the slot (358) at will, giving Bill O'Brien a moveable piece to deploy around the chessboard as he sees fit. He's also one of the few guys in the locker room who knows how it feels to win a Super Bowl. In this last one, he had game-highs with nine targets and seven receptions, good for four 1st downs. That counts for something.
Smith-Schuster. DeVante Parker as your No. 2. Kendrick Bourne alongside them and Tyquan Thornton making the coveted Year 2 jump. Things are looking up. Given that an anonymous coach who faced New England last year declared "there was not a matchup we feared," this is a major step in the right direction. The first of many, let's hope.