Theo Johnson looks the part.
The big, strong, athletic tight end is the guy you have lead the team off the bus. He's what a football player is drawn up to look like, and the New York Giants are hoping that can continue to translate onto the field.
Johnson is entering his second NFL season out of Penn State, and it could be a step up after a rookie season that had flashes of his ability.
The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue named Johnson to that site's "future hits" list, with the premise being that as time goes on, Johnson can develop into a star.
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"This isn’t exactly a deep cut — Johnson flashed a lot of potential as a rookie last season despite only catching 29 passes in 12 games," Rodrigue writes. "Johnson is an athletic, friendly target (also a big one at 6-foot-6 and 264 pounds) whether the quarterback is Russell Wilson or Jaxson Dart. From The Athletic’s Dan Duggan: 'The Giants are counting on Johnson to take a major leap in his second season, although an unspecified injury has sidelined him' since the second preseason game. If Johnson is healthy and the quarterback of choice can throw the ball around, it could be a special season."
As Rodrigue alludes to, the Giants have some question marks.
They have to decide how long to stick with Wilson, or whether the first-round rookie Dart should start at quarterback instead.
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But there aren't any questions at tight end. Daniel Bellinger is still in town, too, but Johnson appears to be the unquestioned starter, at least in terms of expected passing game targets.
A good tight end can go a long way for a football team, and Johnson appears to be trending in that direction.
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