Who Should I Start? JuJu Smith-Schuster or Donovan Peoples-Jones

Thursday, May 2, 2:33 PM

Starting next month, the New England Patriots could cut wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster at a cost of $9.6 million in dead money and no salary cap relief, per Over the Cap, while releasing him before then would incur $2.6 million more in dead money and take a small chunk out of their league-leading $54 million cap room. If the Pats traded Smith-Schuster after June 1, they'd save almost $7 million in cap space and clear room for their young receivers to see more playing time. New England could prioritize playing time for rookies Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, plus 2023 sixth-rounder Demario Douglas. It all means that Smith-Schuster may no longer be the team's No. 2 receiver, especially with Kendrick Bourne and K.J. Osborn also on the roster.

Saturday, March 16, 10:53 PM

Free-agent wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones agreed to a one-year deal on Saturday to remain with the Lions. The wideout began his career by spending over three years with the Browns before being traded to Detroit ahead of the deadline last season. He appeared in eight regular-season games for the Lions, catching only five of his seven targets for 58 yards. Yet, Peoples-Jones did at least come in handy as a punt returner during the postseason after Kalif Raymond went down with a knee injury. The organization still feels the 25-year-old has some untapped potential. However, it's too early to speculate where Peoples-Jones will land on the depth chart heading into the 2024-25 campaign, considering he'll compete with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and possibly Josh Reynolds for snaps. The team may also add via the 2024 NFL Draft. With this in mind, he's someone to watch throughout training camp.