Gang Green Nation
Taking a look at a new Jets wide receiver
The New York Jets signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Tyler Johnson to a one-year contract early on in free agency. Today we break Johnson down in detail.
The 26-year old Johnson is listed at 6’1” and 206 pounds. He was a fifth round pick out of Minnesota in 2020. He has started eight games in his career, catching 76 passes for 828 yards and four touchdowns.
Background
Johnson was a three-star high school recruit, where he had been a dual threat quarterback. However, he was recruited to Minnesota to play wide receiver.
He only started one game as a true freshman, ending the year with 14 catches for 141 yards and a touchdown. However, his role increased in 2017 and he ended up with 35 catches for 677 yards and seven scores in 10 games as a starter.
In 2018, he was a first team all-Big Ten selection after catching 78 passes for 1,169 yards and 12 touchdowns. However, he opted not to enter the 2019 draft and improved on those numbers with 81 catches, 1,318 yards and 13 touchdowns, closing out his college career with a 12 catch, 204 yard, two touchdown effort in the Outback Bowl as he once again earned first-team all-conference honors.
Johnson lasted into the middle rounds before being drafted by the Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2020 draft. He caught a couple of touchdowns and earned a Super Bowl ring as a rookie, but ended up with just 12 catches for 169 yards.
In his second season, Johnson made the first three starts of his career and put up the best numbers of his career with 36 catches for 360 yards.
However, his career stalled at that point, as he played just three games and caught two passes for eight yards over the next two seasons. During that time, he was cut by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Houston Texans, Los Angeles Rams and Las Vegas Raiders, although he ended the 2023 season on the Rams practice squad.
He bounced back with the Rams in 2024 as he made their roster and played in 15 games, starting two. He ended the season with 26 catches for 291 yards and a touchdown, with a career-high 79 receiving yards in the overtime win over Detroit, who of course had Aaron Glenn as their defensive coordinator at the time.
The Jets signed Johnson to a one-year minimum salary deal during the early stages of free agency.
Let’s move onto some more in-depth analysis of what Johnson brings to the table as a player, based on extensive research and film study.
Measurables/Athleticism
Heading into the 2020 pre-draft process, which was of course disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, the main question surrounding Johnson was his speed. He reportedly worked hard to lower his 40-yard dash only to then opt not to run for scouts. Some estimates said his 40 time would have been...
