JuJu Smith-Schuster shoots down report that his knee "could explode at any point"

FOXBORO -- There have been concerns about JuJu Smith-Schuster's knee ever since the Patriots signed the veteran receiver over the offseason. Those concerns were alleviated a bit as the 26-year-old piled up practice time with his new team, but cropped back up a few nights ago when SI's Albert Breer cautioned that Smith-Schuster's knee "could explode at any point."

Breer, appearing on NBC Sports Boston, said that Smith-Schuster's knee "was a mess" and alluded to that being the reason the Patriots opted to keep six receivers on the team's initial 53-man roster. 

Smith-Schuster, however, says that his knee is nothing to worry about.

"I don't think my knee is a ticking time bomb," he told Mass Live's Karen Guregian on Wednesday. "If anything, it's something that's getting stronger every day."

What does Smith-Schuster make of Breer's report? He took a shot at the veteran NFL scribe, saying Breer was just "trying to find a story."

"That's how the world works, right?" he asked Guregian.

Smith-Schuster did suffer a knee injury during the AFC Championship last year as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, leaving the game in the third quarter. He said that he couldn't walk for a few days after the injury, and didn't practice until a few days before Kansas City's Super Bowl LVII win over the Philadelphia Eagles. He looked fine once he took the field in that game, catching seven passes for 53 yards in the victory. 

But Smith-Schuster did have a "clean-up" procedure over the offseason, after a trip to Japan led to more swelling in the knee. That caused him to miss the start of New England's offseason program, and led to much of the concern regarding his health this season.

"From the clean up surgery, and traveling to Japan after the Super Bowl, I needed some time," he explained. "There was some swelling after a six-hour flight, but it's good now. It feels great. I haven't missed practice since (training camp started)."

The Patriots will be counting on Smith-Schuster to haul in a lot of passes from Mac Jones this season, after giving him a three-year, $25.5 million contract in the offseason.