Johnson is listed as a fourth-stringer on the Giants' initial preseason depth chart, but Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News notes that the depth chart at tight end doesn't reflect what reporters have seen during practices. In other words, Johnson is still in the mix to start, despite being a rookie fourth-round pick who opened training camp on the PUP list with a hip injury. He took a lot of first-team reps his second day after being activated, and subsequent reports suggest that's continued into the second week of training camp, albeit with Daniel Bellinger also involved in the first-team offense. Lawrence Cager (hamstring) and Chris Manhertz also are listed ahead of Johnson on the depth chart, but they're specialized players that would be unlikely to play a lot of snaps even if they technically ended up starting. Johnson is the upside play of the bunch, having run a 4.57 40-yard dash at 6-foot-6, 259 pounds. His impressive showing at the NFL Combine led to a selection early in the fourth round, 107th overall, following a college career at Penn State with no more than 34 receptions or 341 yards in any one season (although he did score seven TDs his final year).
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Johnson is listed as a fourth-stringer on the Giants' initial preseason depth chart, but Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News notes that the depth chart at tight end doesn't reflect what reporters have seen during practices. In other words, Johnson is still in the mix to start, despite being a rookie fourth-round pick who opened training camp on the PUP list with a hip injury. He took a lot of first-team reps his second day after being activated, and subsequent reports suggest that's continued into the second week of training camp, albeit with Daniel Bellinger also involved in the first-team offense. Lawrence Cager (hamstring) and Chris Manhertz also are listed ahead of Johnson on the depth chart, but they're specialized players that would be unlikely to play a lot of snaps even if they technically ended up starting. Johnson is the upside play of the bunch, having run a 4.57 40-yard dash at 6-foot-6, 259 pounds. His impressive showing at the NFL Combine led to a selection early in the fourth round, 107th overall, following a college career at Penn State with no more than 34 receptions or 341 yards in any one season (although he did score seven TDs his final year).
Johnson took a majority of first-team reps at Monday's practice, Gabriel Trevino of NJ.com reports. It's a bit surprising given that Johnson is a rookie fourth-round pick and was just activated from the active/PUP list a day earlier after missing the first few days of training camp with a hip injury. On the other hand, there's not much reason to slow-play his development when the likely alternative at tight end is third-year pro Daniel Bellinger, who struggled with blocking the past two seasons while getting just 63 targets on 512 routes (12.3 percent). Johnson never reached even 350 receiving yards in a season at Penn State, but he has prototypical speed (4.57 combine 40) and size (6-foot-6, 259 pounds) for an NFL tight end.
The Giants activated Johnson (hip) from the active/PUP list Sunday, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports. Johnson sat out the beginning of training camp due to a hip injury, but with his activation he'll log his first practice as a pro Sunday. New York selected Johnson in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft with the knowledge that Darren Waller could hang up his cleats, which proved to be the case when Waller announced his retirement in June. Johnson will consequently have an opportunity in camp to compete with Daniel Bellinger for the Giants' starting end role for the 2024 campaign.
Giants GM Joe Schoen said Wednesday that Johnson (hip) should return to practice soon, SI's Patricia Traina reports. The rookie fourth-round pick is on the physically unable to perform list for the start of training camp, slightly delaying what looks to be a fantastic opportunity. The Giants have one of the weakest TE groups in the league after Darren Waller's retirement this summer, potentially giving Johnson a chance to compete with third-year pro Daniel Bellinger for a starting job. Those two are probably the only TEs on the roster with every-down potential, as Jack Stoll and Chris Manhertz are veteran blocking specialists while Lawrence Cager and Tyree Jackson are more like oversized slot receivers. None of the bunch has ever caught more than 34 passes in a season at the NFL or college levels.
The Giants are hoping that Johnson (hip), who was placed on the PUP list Tuesday, is not dealing with a long-term injury, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports. Johnson will be eligible to come off the PUP list as soon as he's able to practice, so if his hip issue is indeed minor he may not have to miss much of training camp. The rookie fourth-round pick has just over three weeks to recover prior to New York's preseason kickoff against the Lions on Aug. 8. When healthy, Johnson figures to compete with Daniel Bellinger (undisclosed) for the No. 1 tight end role.
The Giants placed Johnson (undisclosed) on the PUP list Tuesday with an undisclosed injury, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports. Johnson will be eligible to come off the PUP list any time during training camp or the preseason, but his expected recovery timetable remains unclear, as does the nature of his injury. The rookie fourth-round pick could have an opportunity to compete with Daniel Bellinger (undisclosed) for the starting tight end job, which is wide open in the wake of Darren Waller's retirement. It would be a notable blow to Johnson's outlook if he's forced to miss a substantial portion of camp.
Johnson and Daniel Bellinger will compete to be the Giants' top tight end after Darren Waller decided to retire, NJ.com's Darryl Slater reports. Johnson ran a 4.57 40 at the combine while checking in at 6-foot-6, 259 pounds, vaulting him to the early fourth round of the 2024 Draft (107th overall) even though he never topped 341 receiving yards in four seasons at Penn State. He did score 11 TDs over his final two years, and there's a nice opportunity for immediate playing time in New York following Waller's retirement. Bellinger is a 2022 fourth-round pick who entered the NFL with a similar profile, having run a 4.63 40 at 6-5, 253, after never topping 357 yards or three TDs in a season during his four years at San Diego State. Bellinger has played 1,262 snaps on offense through two years in the NFL while catching 55 of 63 career targets (87.3 percent), but his low rate of targets per route (12.3 percent) and lack of big performances (single-game high of 43 yards) suggests he may fit better as a No. 2 tight end long term. Johnson thus seems like the more intriguing prospect for fantasy, although he comes with some of the same concerns and is only five months younger than Bellinger.