JuJu Smith-Schuster was one of the few notable additions made by the New England Patriots in the offseason, but we haven't seen much of the veteran wide receiver during OTAs and mandatory minicamp.
Smith-Schuster was not present at Day 1 of minicamp Monday at Gillette Stadium. The Athletic's Jeff Howe reported that Smith-Schuster was "unlikely to practice due to injury."
The exact injury has not been reported as of this writing. However, Smith-Schuster did have to leave last season's AFC Championship Game with the Kansas City Chiefs in the third quarter because of a knee injury.
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Even though Smith-Schuster hasn't been on the field a ton, Patriots quarterback Mac Jones has still been impressed with the veteran wideout's dedication toward learning the offense and building chemistry with teammates.
"JuJu really does have a good understanding of football," Jones told reporters Monday. "I feel like he's really bought into the offense, he's always studying and things like that, just like everybody else. He's done a really good job.
"We've gotten some reps together and a lot of that is -- he's working through some things -- so we're always talking about the offense and certain plays that he likes. I think that's good. The conversations always help, just to see it how he sees it. He's played a lot of football in this league and I've been picking his brain both ways. It's been good."
Smith-Schuster signed a three-year, $33 million contract with Patriots as a free agent in March. He is expected to primarily work as a slot receiver, which is where he's enjoyed most of his success over six NFL seasons.
The 26-year-old wide receiver tallied 78 receptions for 933 yards and three touchdowns with the Chiefs last season. He also caught seven passes for 53 yards in the Chiefs' win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII.
