Canal Street Chronicles
Yesterday in California, the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams held a joint practice. This was a perfect time for both teams to have a bit of a scrimmage and learn more about certain aspects of their respective rosters. For the Saints, the primary focus was, of course, on Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough. The battle ended up being very close, like it has been, but this article is more about one of the weapons that these QBs relied on throughout the joint practice.
The Saints’ TE room has become a source of concern since the first preseason game against the Chargers. Jack Stoll looks to be primarily a blocking TE, and with injuries keeping out Foster Moreau, the depth is a worry for that group. The good news is that if health persists, Juwan Johnson will be the starter, and he will thrive in this offense. Health has been an issue in Johnson’s career, so having some doubts that he can stay on the field is understandable, but when he is on the field, it seems he can be a primary target. This role is emphasized further when you think about the Saints’ lack of big-bodied receivers on the team. Whoever is named the starter will rely heavily on Johnson’s receiving ability throughout the season, and we were able to see a glimpse of that in the joint practice.
In the early part of the practice against the Rams, Juwan Johnson caught 5 passes out of 14 combined throws from the Shough and Rattler. Looking further, Johnson caught around 41% of the completed passes against the Rams’ defense. These catches were also not the easiest, and the TE’s ability to make adjustments to the ball was exciting to see.
Time will tell if Juwan Johnson can finally have that breakout year that the New Orleans Saints are waiting for, but as of now, all signs are pointing to that happening.
