FOXBOROUGH – The imagery was striking.
JuJu Smith-Schuster walked back into the Patriots locker room around 4:45 p.m. on Sunday. The veteran wide receiver took his time at his locker, slowly getting changed into an eccentric green sweater that covered most of his face.
While that was happening, Jakobi Meyers was in Las Vegas running in for a 17-yard touchdown. The video highlight was posted on social media just as Smith-Schuster was about to address the New England media after a costly drop turned into a game-securing interception for the Washington Commanders.
The timing was cruel but in a sad way fitting.
The contrast between the two players tells the story of how the Patriots have failed to build their receiver depth chart. On one hand, you have Meyers, who’s having success with the Raiders after leading the Patriots in receiving for the previous three seasons. On the other, there’s Smith-Schuster, who has been demoted on the Patriots depth chart after being signed to replace Meyers.
Bill Belichick has arguably the greatest defensive mind in the history of the NFL. He’s arguably one of, if not the, greatest head coaches of all time. When it comes to scouting, developing, and putting together a group of receivers, the Patriots coach has failed. This season, Belichick’s decision-making has negatively impacted his quarterback, Mac Jones.
That’s not to say that Jones is the future of the Patriots, but it’s clear his job has been made more difficult due to Belichick’s failure at the receiver position.
Sunday’s embarrassing loss to the tanking Washington Commanders was just another example.
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Patriots messed up free agency
The plan should’ve been simple.
An undrafted free agent, Meyers was one of the few receiver success stories for Belichick’s Patriots team. From 2020-to-2022, he led the Patriots in receiving, finishing with 729 yards, 866 yards, and 804 yards.
Meyers was also well-respected in the team’s locker room and pegged by the likes of Devin McCourty as a future Patriots leader. Instead of signing him, the Patriots opted to give Smith-Schuster a three-year, $33 million deal. When that was announced, Meyers tweeted, “Cold world” after he signed a three-year, $33 million deal with the Raiders.
Heading into this week, Meyers had 38 receptions for 404 yards with five touchdowns. Smith-Schuster entered this week with 15 receptions for 89 yards and one touchdown. He had the best game of the season on Sunday, finishing with six catches for 51 yards.
The story, however, quickly became about the catch he didn’t make. With 38 seconds left in the game, Jones threw a perfect ball to Smith-Schuster but it went through his hands and was caught by Jartavius Martin for an interception. That catch would’ve put the Patriots in field goal range down by three.
“It’s all on me,” Smith Schuster said. “(Mac) put the ball in a good position. I just got to make the catch. Secure it. Now, we’re in field goal range. Obviously, I didn’t do that. Fell short.”
To make this situation worse, Smith-Schuster started this game playing behind rookie Demario Douglas, Jalen Reagor, and Tyquan Thornton.
After nine weeks, the Patriots highest-paid receiver has been demoted.
Patriots misses in NFL Draft adds up
Belichick has had little problem developing defensive players and offensive linemen throughout his time in New England. When it comes to drafting and developing receivers in the first three rounds, the results are disastrous.
The biggest example right now is Thornton.
On Sunday, the 2022 second-round pick received more opportunities due to the season-ending injury to Kendrick Bourne. Jones started this game by throwing to Thornton four times in the first three series. The quarterback went 1-of-4 for 7 yards.
The three incompletions came on third-and-10, fourth-and-3, and third-and-5. The fourth-down incompletion wasn’t Thornton’s fault and Jones took accountability after the game for “missing” the receiver. However, the incomplete pass on third-and-5, at 2:35 of the first quarter, left Jones furious.
The replay showed that Thornton didn’t run his route correctly. That theory seemed to add up because the receiver was benched after not making the play.
“I mean, I definitely didn’t make the play,” Thornton told MassLive. “I definitely have to be better on my end. That’s all I can say.”
When asked if the coaching staff told him why he was taken out of the game, Thornton replied, “No. No.”
Through 1.5 seasons in the NFL, Thornton has 25 catches for 262 years and two touchdowns. His production is well behind other receivers who were drafted behind him in 2022 at 50th overall – namely No. 52 George Pickens (82 catches for 1,322 yards), No. 53 Alec Pierce (58 catches, 836 yards) and No. 132 Romeo Doubs (69 catches, 701 yards).
For Belichick, it’s the same story. On Sunday, the Patriots defense was beaten several times by Terry McLaurin (five catches, 73 yards). The Patriot infamously drafted N’Keal Harry at 32 overall in 2019 over the likes of McLaurin, A.J. Brown, Deebo Samuel, D.K. Metcalf, and others.
Patriots receivers aren’t clutch
Smith-Schuster isn’t the only receiver who’s had a costly drop this season. It’s happened routinely throughout the 2023 season.
Although Jones has had a laundry list of mistakes at the quarterback position, he’s also thrown multiple clutch passes that weren’t caught. The Smith-Schuster drop-turned-interception was the second example from Sunday’s game.
With 46 seconds left in the third quarter, Jones uncorked a perfectly placed deep ball that should’ve been caught by Jalen Reagor around the 10-yard line. Instead, the ball slipped through Reagor’s hands. The receiver was visibly dejected on the field after the missed opportunity.
“It was a great ball by Mac,” Reagor told MassLive. “I just kind of lost my footing, like stumbling. I couldn’t get both hands on it, but I still have to make that play.”
That catch would’ve put the Patriots within striking distance down 20-17. Instead, it was another example of a Patriots receiver not coming up when it matters most.
Three weeks ago, in Las Vegas, the Patriots were trailing the Raiders 19-17 with two minutes left. That’s when Jones threw a perfect deep ball to DeVante Parker, who had a step on his defender. The pass bounced off Parker’s fingertips. Instead of being close to a game-winning field goal, Jones was sacked for a safety one play later.
The Patriots also had something similar happen in their Week 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Trailing 25-20, Jones threw a perfect 12-yard pass to Kayshon Boutte. The pass led the rookie receiver to the sideline where he had enough room to make the catch and get both feet in bounds at the 8-yard line. Instead, Boutte didn’t get both feet in bounds and the fourth-down play was ruled a turnover on downs.
Earlier that game, at 2:29 of the fourth quarter, Bourne also had a costly drop on third-and-12. After the game, the veteran receiver took accountability.
“A drop, honestly,” Bourne said. “I pride myself on making tough catches.”
With Bourne, the Patriots lead receiver, out, the offense struggled on Sunday. Unfortunately, there’s no easy fix for Jones and the Patriots. Mistakes in roster building left this position group in dire straits.
Belichick had a chance to right some of his wrongs when he brought in free agent DeAndre Hopkins for a visit in August. Instead, Hopkins signed with Tennessee for more guaranteed money. Imagine a lineup of Hopkins, Bourne and Douglas? The Hopkins decision is just one of many that have led this Patriots offense to be undermanned.
“The whole group is very much so close together and they work really hard,” Jones said of his receivers. “It’s not like we’re not on the same page. We’re really close. We’re right there. We’re just a little bit short.”
That’s been the case all season.
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