Getty Collin Johnson #19 of the Jacksonville Jaguars reacts to his first down in the first half against the Cleveland Browns.
Despite some injury concerns to their receiving arsenal, the New York Giants wiped their hands of a few promising wideouts on cut day. The always-beloved David Sills, the ever-versatile Matt Cole, and the team’s preseason leader in touchdown receptions, Damion Willis (added to practice squad), were all waived. On top of that, fellow receivers Alex Bachman and Austin Mack were placed on injured reserve. However, less than 24-hours after trimming their roster to the league allotted 53 players, Big Blue has added some reinforcement to the position.
Wide receiver Collin Johnson has been claimed off of waivers along with linebacker Justin Hilliard and edge rusher Quincy Roche, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. Johnson, 23, is entering his second pro season after spending his rookie campaign with the Jacksonville Jaguars. In 14 games in Duval County, the former fifth-round pick hauled in 18 receptions for 272 yards and two touchdowns.
Could a Position Change be Coming for Johnson?
Thanks in large part to his massive 6-foot-6-inch, 222-pound frame, the Texas product earned the moniker “Young Megatron” early on his playing days. In fact, as of last season, no wide receiver measured in taller than Johnson. Yet, while he may resemble the NFL Hall of Famer’s big-bodied frame, he knows better than to liken himself to one of the best to ever do it.
“I try to be the best Collin Johnson I can be,” Collin said, via 247Sports. “But Calvin Johnson is a guy I can look up to.”
As for where Johnson can be his best for the Giants’ sake, it may possibly be at an entirely new position. Raanan reported earlier in the day that the team has been aggressively looking at tight end on the waiver wire and in free agency. This, likely due to the fact that starter Evan Engram’s Week 1 status is up in the air with a calf injury. His primary backup, Kyle Rudolph also remains a question mark as he works his way back from offseason foot surgery, leaving Kaden Smith as the lone healthy tight end on the roster.
Could Johnson prove to be a developmental project for the Giants at the tight end position? In the meantime, he’d likely still serve as a viable red-zone target should the team get his feet wet at a new position — that and possibly bulk up some. Still, New York has been in search of a similar type of player in recent months, although to no prevail. They attempted to kick the tires on Kelvin Benjamin, converting him to tight end — we all know how that went. Similarly, they took Canadian wide receiver Rysen John and deployed him as a tight end/h-back. While John showed promise this summer, he ultimately landed on IR with an ankle injury.
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Giants Not Done Yet
As today’s actions have proven, the Giants are continuously looking to add to their roster in hopes of upgrading their on-field product. Head coach Joe Judge stressed this message while speaking to reporters after the initial 53-man roster was announced.
“I don’t think your roster is ever final,” Judge said. “I think you’re always looking to go ahead and move as needed, sometimes that’s through necessity, the nature of the game is there’s going to be injuries at times, people get banged up and anyone we see out there that we think could improve us, we’re looking to keep as many good football players in this program as possible.”