The Patriots finally receive some good news about one of their top players for 2023

After losing out in their pursuit of DeAndre Hopkins earlier this week, eyes shifted focus back onto the current state of the Patriots' receiving corps and how they may fare during the upcoming season.

Since it was clear Hopkins' addition would've been a massive boost offensively, questions regarding the talent they have started being asked again.

The assumption for Bill Belichick's seeming lack of urgency to sign a top receiver has been that he and the other coaches feel comfortable with who they have. That may be accurate, but there are still concerns surrounding the receivers they currently roster, like JuJu Smith-Schuster.

The former Kansas City Chief was signed essentially as a Jakobi Meyers replacement and was entering his first season with the Patriots continuing to nurse an injury suffered last season.

Because of that, he wasn't seen during OTAs or minicamp in the spring, which jumpstarted uneasiness over the decision to bring him in in the first place.

But a new report from The Boston Globe's Nicole Yang reveals some good news regarding the receiver's return to the field as training camp nears.

In her latest article published on Wednesday, Yang reported that Smith-Schuster has already made the trip back to Massachusetts a week before training camp on July 26th. She also mentioned he “plans to be on the field” at the beginning of camp, a good indication of where he is in his rehab.

With the overwhelming amount of drama and negative press the Patriots have dealt with since the end of last season, hearing their top receiver may finally be able to take the field with the offense is great news ahead of training camp.

Although any details regarding Smith-Schuster's injury status haven't been made clear, the fact he intends to be on the field as soon as next week is a good sign and worthy of being excited about.