The New York Giants held veteran wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster out of practice on Tuesday amid ongoing questions about his place on the final roster.
Head coach John Harbaugh told reporters that the Super Bowl champion was dealing with some swelling in his knee, prompting the team to keep him off the field for the session.
Smith-Schuster is entering his tenth NFL season after signing a one-year deal worth $1.3 million with the Giants in early June.
The contract marked his third team in four years and his fifth overall stop in a career that has already brought him roughly $40.6 million in earnings.
The 29-year-old was once one of the top wide receivers in all of football, particularly back in 2018 when he racked up 1,426 yards with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also finished with 933 yards as recently as 2022 with the Kansas City Chiefs.
But while Smith-Schuster is still productive and could end up being a part of the Giants’ offense this season, there is genuine concern as to whether or not he will even make the roster.
Pre-camp projections from ESPN listed six wide receivers expected to stick with New York: Malik Nabers, Darnell Mooney, Darius Slayton, Calvin Austin III, Malachi Fields, and Odell Beckham Jr.
That group leaves little room for an aging depth piece whose production has fluctuated since his early peak.
Smith-Schuster first burst onto the scene as a second-round pick out of USC by the Steelers in 2017. Along the way he collected several age-related franchise and league records, including becoming the first player to score five touchdowns before turning 21 and the youngest to reach 1,500 career receiving yards.
His only Super Bowl title came in 2022 during his first stint with the Kansas City Chiefs. Since then the production has tapered, and the latest knee concern arrives at a moment when every practice opportunity matters for a player fighting to stay in the league.
Whether the swelling proves temporary or signals a deeper issue will likely shape how the Giants view his chances in the weeks ahead.
We’ll see if Smith-Schuster can ultimately beat out Beckham for a roster spot, or if New York ends up keeping seven receivers, which would mean that both Beckham and Smith-Schuster can make the team.
