SI: Is It Time For Buccaneers to Move On From WR Tyler Johnson?

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BleedGopher

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per David:

Drafted in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, former Minnesota Golden Gophers wide receiver Tyler Johnson arrived to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a lot of hype surrounding what he could become.

Johnson's production grew in year two up 24 catches and nearly 200 yards from his output his rookie year.

But his catch percentage dropped five percent, yards per reception decreased by four full yards on average, and he failed to find the end zone.

Stack all of that on top of his showing up to training camp out of shape and the clear occasions at times he and quarterback Tom Brady were on completely different pages, and there's a lot of concern surrounding the third-year receiver and whether or not he'll ever reach his full potential.

Sometimes, in these situations, teams decide it's best to part ways with young talent.

www.si.com

Is It Time For Buccaneers to Move On From WR Tyler Johnson?

Would trading the receiver do better for the team than keeping him another season?
www.si.com www.si.com

Go Gophers!!
 












WriterGoph said:
If it's true he showed up out of shape to training camp, I hope he is busting his ass this offseason to ensure he is in prime condition
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I have a hard time believing this is true as Brady would let him have it in more ways than one.
 

#2Gopher said:
I have a hard time believing this is true as Brady would let him have it in more ways than one.
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I realize that objectively Brady wasn't yelling at Johnson on every play last year, but it sure seemed like it.

Brady also went out of his way to recruit Russell Gage to replace Johnson in the slot so I would be pretty surprised if Johnson still has a roster spot after training camp. Godwin and Gage both play in the slot. They won't need a third man there.
 


Even if he got cut by Tampa, i think it's a near certainty that he would get picked up by someone else for their 53
 








Doogie every time he mentions TJ “The Pride of North Minneapolis”
 

SanDiegoGopherFan said:
That sucks. Sometimes when you make real good money, it can kill the motivation to keep improving
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He's pulling in roughly 900k a year and while that's a very nice paycheck, he's leaving many millions more on the table if was playing to his potential. One would think that would be motivation enough to keep improving!
 

The article mirrors what those GHers have been saying that have been following TB closely with both Tyler and Antoine on the team...a lot of WR talent on that squad. Throw in Gronkowski and Brady the Perfectionist and Tyler has not really been able to become consistent.

The opportunity afforded to him was and remains huge, however he just may not be up to it under the circumstances at Tampa Bay.

As for whether this has any actual meat to it, that is not clear. This is purely conjecture as the writer looks down the roster for who to drop to make room for other talent. Enough substance to make it more than clickbait but not by much.
 

alchemy2u said:
It is inexcusable to come in out of shape... key way to lose your job, especially if you are not a superstar for the team.
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He's the 5th best WR on the team, so maybe he wants to move on.
 

Bad look to show up to camp out of shape. Regardless....TJ needs to get to another team. With the logjam ahead of him at WR, he was never really afforded a chance to grow into the position because his playing time was so sporadic.
 

stocker08 said:
Bad look to show up to camp out of shape. Regardless....TJ needs to get to another team. With the logjam ahead of him at WR, he was never really afforded a chance to grow into the position because his playing time was so sporadic.
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He was targeted 55 times last year and caught 36. Not for a lack of opportunities, more of a lack of production.
 

bamor5229 said:
He was targeted 55 times last year and caught 36. Not for a lack of opportunities, more of a lack of production.
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It is interesting because he had a better catch % than Gronk, and the same as Evans...like 3rd among receivers (WR/TE). The other difference is that the RB gets a lot of throws in that offense...third highest for RBs in the NFL last year.
 

bamor5229 said:
He was targeted 55 times last year and caught 36. Not for a lack of opportunities, more of a lack of production.
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Read below. Just because the ball is thrown to him doesn't mean that the throw is catchable. Think the issue with TJ is that he just doesn't have the explosiveness that better receivers in the league have. Can't get as much separation. He just needs to be sharp with his cuts and run good routes. Obviously a lot of that is on him. But you can't downplay the importance of building chemistry with your QB. For much of his TB career thus far....he's had three to four pro bowl pass catchers (Evans, Godwin, Brown, Gronk) ahead of him. Not to mention that in that offense....a lot of passes go to the running backs.

But you're right in that he HAS had opportunities...and just hasn't capitalized. Coming into camp out of shape makes me wonder if he's just demoralized by how things have gone there. Basically right off the bat they bring in Brown to be the number three. Now they go and get Gage. I think he just needs a change of scenery. At that point it would be do or die.

PMWinSTP said:
It is interesting because he had a better catch % than Gronk, and the same as Evans...like 3rd among receivers (WR/TE). The other difference is that the RB gets a lot of throws in that offense...third highest for RBs in the NFL last year.
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Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0 said:
He's pulling in roughly 900k a year and while that's a very nice paycheck, he's leaving many millions more on the table if was playing to his potential. One would think that would be motivation enough to keep improving!
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Money can make some lazy. Obviously this is assuming all is good in his world (mental health, family, etc). Coming in out of shape, that doesnt scream having a drive during the offseason to get better.
 

I hope he gets in shape and goes to a team that affords him more opportunities. The average playing career length for an NFL Wide Receiver is 2.81 years. He's got a little over two years.

He already has a Superbowl Ring that most players don't have.

He needs to be a reliable player as a wide receiver and keep those paychecks coming. As long as he continues to be on a roster and is productive, it doesn't matter if it is third-string or fourth-string.
 

SanDiegoGopherFan said:
Money can make some lazy. Obviously this is assuming all is good in his world (mental health, family, etc). Coming in out of shape, that doesnt scream having a drive during the offseason to get better.
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Everyone knows this out of shape thing is from last year, right? Here is an article where Johnson talks directly about it, as so does Ariens, commenting that Johnson got in shape...“He’s in good shape now,” Arians said Wednesday. “He learned a lesson, but his weight is down and he’s in good shape. He’s ready to roll.” Seems like folks out here have sort of latched onto that tidbit. Mountain/mole hill?

profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

Tyler Johnson learned his lesson about staying in shape

Buccaneers receiver Tyler Johnson became a pleasant surprise last year, making a huge catch against the Saints in the playoffs and providing yet another quality option on a receiver depth chart that is the best in the league.
profootballtalk.nbcsports.com profootballtalk.nbcsports.com
 
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BilldGopher said:
The article mirrors what those GHers have been saying that have been following TB closely with both Tyler and Antoine on the team...a lot of WR talent on that squad. Throw in Gronkowski and Brady the Perfectionist and Tyler has not really been able to become consistent.

The opportunity afforded to him was and remains huge, however he just may not be up to it under the circumstances at Tampa Bay.

As for whether this has any actual meat to it, that is not clear. This is purely conjecture as the writer looks down the roster for who to drop to make room for other talent. Enough substance to make it more than clickbait but not by much.
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I live winters near Tampa and get all Bucs games. Brady has never been unreasonably tough with Tyler. In fact, he has tried to help him. Several games last year TJ was the first target of the game. And several times Brady went right back to him after a drop.

Tom also said a few words to him on the sidelines after a weak block attempt, of which there were far too many. Brady coaches up everybody on offense.
 

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