The MMQB’s Albert Breer appeared on NBC Sports Boston earlier in the week ahead of roster cutdowns, discussing a variety of topics, including a comment on the state of JuJu Smith-Schuster’s knee that has seemingly had people talking this week.
During Breer’s appearance where they talked about the upcoming roster cutdowns, Breer made a comment about Smith-Schuster’s health that was certainly a little concerning.
“The underrated story here: JuJu Smith Schuster’s knee is a mess, and that thing could explode at any point,” Breer said via Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston. “So, you almost have to keep an extra receiver because of that.”
Given his relationships with coaches, players, and GM’s around the league as he’s grown into his role since taking over for Peter King, Breer doesn’t tend to make outlandish statements without some knowledge behind it, which is what made his comment so interesting.
To go along with it, there had also been talk from other members within the media about some concern with Smith-Schuster’s knee earlier in the preseason, which is what also added some context to Breer’s statement.
Apparently, reporters were finally able to ask Smith-Schuster about it on Wednesday. The veteran downplayed any issue with his knee, saying that he’s been relatively fine since the surgery he underwent after the Super Bowl.
“I don’t think my knee is a ticking time bomb,” Smith-Schuster told MassLive.com’s Karen Guregian about his knee. “If anything, it’s something that’s getting stronger every day.”
However, Smith-Schuster did say that he experienced swelling following a six-hour flight to Japan, but he went on to add that for now, “It feels great,” noting that he hadn’t missed a practice since training camp started.
The former Chiefs receiver was also active during the club’s second exhibition contest against the Packers, catching a short pass for one yard after playing 16 snaps.
He also took part in practice the following week and was out there participating in warm-ups ahead of the finale in Tennessee. Like the other starters, he watched from the sidelines as the club finished out the preseason with a 23-7 loss to the Titans.
As for any long flights, the Patriots don’t have one of those until Week 4 when they head to Dallas (approx 4hrs), followed by a trip to Las Vegas two weeks later on October 15th (approx 6hrs).
Their longest flight of the season will be their trip to Germany in Week 10 when they face the Colts, with that flight coming in at around nine hours.
Hopefully, by then, it will be even more of a non-issue.
(Editor’s Note: Portions of the above appeared in this morning’s news and notes column.)
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
