Tez Johnson: Everything you need to know

Johnson brought in his only target for 17 yards and rushed once for five yards in the Buccaneers' 16-14 win over the Panthers on Saturday. He finished his 2025 rookie campaign with 28 receptions for 322 yards and five touchdowns on 44 targets while adding seven rushes for 22 yards across 16 games. Johnson enjoyed pockets of elevated opportunity during his rookie season due to to injuries to Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan, helping him to gain some value reps early in his NFL career. Johnson logged snap rates of 57 percent to 73 percent in seven straight games between Week 6 and Week 13, topping out at five catches and 59 receiving yards in single-game highs on the season. His relevance faded down the stretch as the receiving corps finally attained full health, but Johnson made a solid impression overall and should once again compete for reserve snaps in 2026.

Johnson secured both targets for 19 yards in the Buccaneers' 20-17 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday. Johnson managed to record multiple receptions for the first time since Week 12 while logging 11 snaps (16 percent), his lowest volume since Week 1. With four healthy and more experienced receivers ahead of him, even Sunday's stat line can be considered a success to a degree for Johnson, who projects to remain relegated to a deep reserve role for a critical Week 18 regular-season finale against the Panthers on Sunday.

Johnson secured his only target for minus-1 yard in the Buccaneers' 23-20 loss to the Panthers on Sunday. The rookie's minimal role persisted in Sunday's loss, with Johnson seeing the field on just 25 percent (16 snaps) of the Buccaneers' offensive plays. The recent return of Mike Evans and season debut of Jalen McMillan has predictably pushed Johnson down the depth chart, where he projects to remain for the final two games of the regular season and in the postseason, if Tampa Bay advances.