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After failing to land free agent DeAndre Hopkins, the Patriots got some good news in the wide receiver room on Monday.
According to the Boston Globe's Nicole Yang, pass catcher JuJu Smith-Schuster will be ready to practice at the start of Patriots training camp next week.
The 2018 Pro Bowler, who New England signed to a three-year, $33 million contract in March, has been nursing a knee injury he suffered during last season's AFC Championship game. He returned to the field and won a Super Bowl two weeks later, but the Patriots have been "cautious" with him during the offseason program. The seventh-year pro missed all of New England's practices open the media this Spring.
He'll now finally get some on-field work in with his new quarterback Mac Jones, who had plenty of nice things to say about his new target this preseason.
“He’s just a football nerd... kind of like me," the third-year QB said of JuJu in June. "We kind of hit it off in that regard. He’s an awesome guy, and I’m looking forward to working with all those guys in that room. I think there’s a lot of potential there."
JuJu seems excited to work with Jones as well:
“When I signed [with the Patriots] Mac was like, in the building already," Smith-Schuster told reporters during his introductory press conference in May. "He’s a hard-working guy. Very, very smart.”
In Smith-Schuster's best NFL season, he caught 111 passes for 1,426 yards and 7 TDs. While it's unlikely he'll reach that peak again, he'll have plenty of target share on a Patriots team that failed to land a true No. 1 wide receiver in Hopkins this offseason.
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @WEEI for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!
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