Is JuJu Smith-Schuster going down Nelson Agholor Parkway?
After Andrew Callahan’s most recent report surrounding JuJu Smith-Schuster‘s outlook following Week 1, is it far to wonder if this is Nelson Agholor 2.o?
Sep 10, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (7) runs the ball with Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Avonte Maddox (29) closing in during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
This is not looking good…
Marc Bertand: We know that (DeVante) Parker will play. They like Parker. They just re-signed him. I wouldn’t have done that, but they did. So they like him and they will have him on the field. That means he’s on the field. (Demario) Douglas will be on the field. (Kendrick) Bourne will be on the field. They signed Mike Gesicki. Where is the playing time coming from for JuJu Smith-Schuster?
Scott Zolak: Oh man, he should be part of your big three. He really should.
Marc Bertand: And he’s not and that’s the point of this and that’s where it’s at after one game. Small snapshot, but it doesn’t feel good. Based on what you saw from him on Sunday.
Scott Zolak: Hasn’t really felt good all year. Like there weren’t the flashes in the preseason that made it feel good either.
Marc Bertand: No. You never saw it.
Scott Zolak: You remember when Brandin Cooks got here and he had a couple of plays in camp? We’re like, Oh man, holy man, this guy’s got some speed. They’re going to have some deep posts. No, we didn’t see the breakaway catches, nor did we see them from Gesicki. To be fair here, we didn’t see him from Gesicki. But what you saw the other night, I think what you’re going to continue to see is Gesicki slipping out in the flat, slipping out there on the scene and finding ways to get open. He’s going to get the ball. But it’s not JuJu right now.
Marc Bertand: No, it is not.
Scott Zolak: The biggest thing I take away from the other night and I said it to Bob (Socci), wow we got two rookies in the game and it’s a must have drive at the end of the game with time running out. Your quarterback is throwing it to rookie on a fourth and 11 on a comeback. Maybe JuJu catches and taps his feet. I don’t know.
Marc Bertand: And so if he ends up on IR, if that does happen soon, because he’s not right….
Scott Zolak: This will be the reason why it doesn’t look good…
Marc Bertand: It doesn’t look good. But also it calls into question the decision making in the offseason to sign this player.
Scott Zolak: I mean, you roll the dice with knees, right?
Marc Bertand: When we found out that they signed the player knowing that he had a knee issue, that was still an issue. We started to question the signing then. We had maybe stupidly made the assumption. We made asses of ourselves by assuming that he was healthy and that the knee issue that he dealt with leading up to the Super Bowl was just that. It was a small issue and an injury and guys get hurt and bounce back all the time. Not that it was something that was lingering and teams would know about and also, it turns out, according to multiple national reports, his value on the free agent market was down because of that knee. He’s not back in Kansas City because the Kansas City Chiefs are not willing to extend themselves knowing that he had a bad knee.
Scott Zolak: And that’s something.
Marc Bertand: And Bert Breer has talked about that extensively… This is the first game on a deal that’s, I guess, really like a two year deal, isn’t it? It’s a commitment they made to this player that you got to wonder if this is going to work out, if this signing is going to work out at all. I hope we’re not taking a stroll down Nelson Agholor Parkway today with this player like, I really hope that’s not what’s going on.
JuJu Smith-Schuster at 2023 New England Patriots training camp in Foxboro. (Jim Louth/98.5 The Sports Hub)
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There's a new quarterback on the Patriots' radar
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 01: Ian Book #19 of the Philadelphia Eagles warms up against the New Orleans Saints at Lincoln Financial Field on January 01, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
A waiver claim by the Eagles in 2022, the 25-year-old Book spent all of last year as the Eagles’ No. 3 quarterback behind Jalen Hurts and Gardner Minshew II, and was by all means the No. 4 quarterback on the Philadelphia depth chart at the time of his release at the end of the club’s 2023 training camp.
In action for two games during the 2023 preseason, Book went 12-for-19 for 91 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions, and added 31 rushing yards on six carries.
GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – AUGUST 19: Ian Book #16 of the New Orleans Saints looks to pass against the Green Bay Packers during a preseason game at Lambeau Field on August 19, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)’
Drafted by New Orleans with a fourth-round pick in 2021, the 6-foot Book has made one regular-season start in his NFL career, which came all the way back on Dec. 27, 2021 against Miami.
It was a pretty heinous start, all things considered, as Book completed just 12 of his 20 passing attempts for a total of 135 yards. And in addition to failing to find the back of the endzone, Book was also dinged for two interceptions, and took a staggering eight sacks (and for a loss of 54 yards in total) on the way to a 20-3 loss.
It was hard to argue that Book was put into anything resembling a favorable position (he only got the start because the rest of the Saints’ quarterback room was dealing with COVID), but the loss is still an ugly one and lingers over Book, especially with it being the only appearance of his NFL career to date.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JANUARY 01: Ian Book #12 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish reacts against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the second quarter in the 2021 College Football Playoff Semifinal Game at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One at AT&T Stadium on January 01, 2021 in Arlington, Texas. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Prior to his time in New Orleans and Philadelphia, Book put forth a strong career at Notre Dame.
With the Irish from 2016 through 2020, Book threw for 8,948 yards and 72 touchdowns, and rushed for another 17 scores, over a 35-game run as the Irish’s starting quarterback.
Book also compiled a 30-5 as Notre Dame’s starting quarterback, which is the most wins by a starting quarterback in the nearly century and a half long history of Notre Dame football.
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – SEPTEMBER 10: Bailey Zappe #4 of the Patriots watches offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien of the New England Patriots talks to Mac Jones #10 of the Patriots. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The Patriots’ interest in getting a look at what Book could potentially bring to their quarterback room comes just days after Mac Jones went 35-for-54 with 316 yards and three scores.
And it truthfully has almost nothing to do with Jones, but rather what’s behind Jones, especially with recent waiver claim Matt Corral moved to the rarely-used exempt/left squad list after Corral failed to report to the team facility following Thursday’s practice. With Corral out of the picture for the time being (it’s also important to note that he cannot sign with another team so long as he’s on this list), the Patriots are free to use his roster spot on someone else for the time being. They used it to bring Bailey Zappe up from the practice squad in Week 1, and that could remain the case for the foreseeable future.
If Zappe is elevated on something resembling a full-time basis, the Patriots could have an opening for Book on the team’s practice squad, especially with training camp standout and multi-faceted weapon Malik Cunningham being used as more wide receiver than quarterback.
