Could Jonnu Smith’s long-awaited Patriots breakout come at his old team’s expense?

Last month, Jonnu Smith’s teammates shouted from the Gillette Stadium rooftop his slow start was about to end.

He’s going to come on, Hunter Henry said.

His breakout game is coming, Kendrick Bourne predicted.

Here’s what happened next: one reception for nine yards in a painful loss to Dallas.

Since then, Smith has made six catches in four games, excluding one contest he missed with a hurt shoulder. The third-highest-paid tight end in football is producing like a fringe backup. Consequently, the Patriots have begun treating him like a run-blocker, asking Smith to lock horns with defenders on 62% of his snaps during their ongoing 5-game win streak.

Smith’s role as a receiver has dwindled to the point he’s tracking for fewer receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns than he had last season in Tennessee, despite now playing a 17-game schedule. What does he make of his struggles?

“It is what it is right now. I’m just thankful to be in the position that I am. That’s always been the player I’ve been,” Smith said Tuesday. “I don’t necessarily worry about the role. I’m not going to worry about the role. As players, we don’t sit here and say this what we’re going to do this week. That’s the coaches’ job.

“It’s our job to go out and execute it. So that’s all I can worry about.”

If Smith’s breakout finally arrives Sunday, his inside information on the Titans may pave his way. Smith spent the first four seasons of his career in Tennessee, where he developed from raw weapon into an all-around player. The Patriots visited with him before the 2017 draft, but failed to the pull the trigger before the Titans selected him in the third round.

Four years later, they inked Smith to a 4-year, $50 million contract in free agency. His coaches insist they haven’t seen any change behind the scenes amid his ongoing receiving drought.

“He’s locked in, he’s unselfish. And he comes to work every single day ready to go,” Caley said. “So I’ve never noticed one thing that you know from his preparation from his attitude, anything like that. I’ve been pleased with everything and we just got to continue to get better and improve some things.”

Smith must elevate his game to crack the Titans’ defense, the NFL’s sixth-best at defending tight ends, per Football Outsiders’ opponent-and-situation-adjusted metric DVOA. Reflecting on his time in Tennessee, Smith describe those four years as some of the greatest of his life.  He said he has “all love” for the organization, though surely the 26-year-old would love for the greatest four quarters of his Patriots career so far to come at his old team’s expense Sunday.