By Dianna Russini, Nate Taylor and Amos Morale III
The Kansas City Chiefs are signing JuJu Smith-Schuster, a team source said, in a reunion with a receiver who played a key role on the team that won the Super Bowl two seasons ago.
The New England Patriots released Smith-Schuster earlier this month. Smith-Schuster caught 29 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown in 11 games for New England in 2023.
Prior to his brief stint with the Patriots, Smith-Schuster won a Super Bowl with the Chiefs in 2022, catching 78 passes for 933 yards and three touchdowns.
He joins a Chiefs receiving room led by Marquise Brown, Rashee Rice and rookie Xavier Worthy.
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The 27-year-old spent the first five seasons of his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who drafted him in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Smith-Schuster’s role in Kansas City
The Chiefs know exactly how to use Smith-Schuster, a possession receiver who can devour zone coverages with Patrick Mahomes and run routes alongside Travis Kelce. The question, though, is: Can Smith-Schuster replicate the production he had in 2022? The Chiefs will likely try to manage Smith-Schuster’s snaps, but his transition to the roster and playbook should be relatively easy with the team still having 10 days to prepare for the season opener against the Baltimore Ravens.
How many WRs will the Chiefs keep?
By adding Smith-Schuster, the Chiefs could feel more comfortable having just six receivers on their initial 53-man roster.
Before the trade, the Chiefs needed to keep seven receivers — the last two likely going to Skyy Moore and Justyn Ross — to have adequate depth at the position after Brown dislocated his sternoclavicular on the first snap of the preseason, an injury that could force him to miss the season opener.
The move also ensures that former 2021 first-round pick Kadarius Toney will not be on the Chiefs’ initial roster.
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