THEO JOHNSON NEWS

Rookie TE Theo Johnson scores first NFL touchdown | Giants vs. Commanders Highlights Tight end Theo Johnson scores his first NFL touchdown on a 35-yard pass from quarterback Daniel Jones.

14 HOURS AGO • GIANTS.COM

Draws four targets Week 8 Johnson secured three of four targets for 35 yards in Monday's loss to the Steelers.

Impact Johnson didn't have a pass thrown his way Week 7 versus Philadelphia, but he got back on track with his second-highest yardage total of the season on Monday Night Football. The bulk of his production came on New York's final drive, as he caught a 25-yard pass from QB Daniel Jones with just over a minute remaining in the game, then nabbed a three-yard reception on the next play. Those catches came as the Giants attempted to march down the field and tie the score, but Jones was intercepted on a second-down pass attempt, squelching any hope of a comeback. Johnson ended up logging a season-high 97 percent of the team's offensive snaps in the loss, and with at least three catches and at least 30 receiving yards in three of his past four games, he's built some fantasy intrigue in deeper leagues.

5 DAYS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Absent from passing game Week 7 Johnson was not targeted in Sunday's loss to Philadelphia.

Impact The Giants' passing game was abhorrent as a whole Sunday, as Daniel Jones and Drew Lock combined for just 105 passing yards while completing a collective 17 of 29 pass attempts. Daniel Bellinger was the only one of the team's tight ends to even see a target, and he received just one look, which he caught for 11 yards. There's no reason to believe that Bellinger has usurped Johnson on the depth chart since the latter logged 90 percent of New York's offensive snaps in the ugly loss to Bellinger's 12 percent, so Johnson should have an opportunity to bounce back in Week 8 against Pittsburgh on Monday Night Football.

OCTOBER 22 • ROTOWIRE

Efficient with three targets Johnson brought in all three of his targets for 30 yards in Sunday's 17-7 loss to the Bengals.

Impact Johnson followed up his career day with a solid effort against the Bengals on Sunday Night Football. The Giants' rookie tight end had been used sparsely early in the season, but the fourth-rounder is averaging four receptions and 39 yards over his last two contests. Johnson is a name worth monitoring in case his role continues to grow as the season progresses. For now, those in deeper formats can take a look at the tight end ahead of next Sunday's tilt versus the Eagles.

OCTOBER 14 • ROTOWIRE

Asst. HC/OC Mike Kafka on performance of Tyrone Tracy, Theo Johnson Assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Mike Kafka speaks to the media on Thursday ahead of the teams Week 6 matchup against the Cincinna...

OCTOBER 10 • GIANTS.COM

Records best game as pro Johnson caught all five of his targets for 48 yards in a 29-20 Week 5 win against the Seahawks on Sunday.

Impact Johnson has worked as New York's starting tight end since the beginning of the season, but through four weeks he had only three catches (on eight targets) for 37 yards. The rookie exceeded his collective Weeks 1-4 reception and yardage totals in Week 5 on Sunday, finishing third on the Giants in targets, catches and receiving yards. His long gain was a 22-yard catch that set New York up in the red zone on a drive that finished with a Wan'Dale Robinson touchdown reception. Johnson's quiet first four games kept him off the fantasy radar, but managers in need of a tight end may want to keep an eye on him moving forward to see if Johnson can build upon Sunday's performance and establish further rapport with QB Daniel Jones.

OCTOBER 7 • ROTOWIRE

Records best game as pro Johnson caught all five of his targets for 48 yards in a 29-20 Week 5 win against the Seahawks on Sunday.

Impact Johnson has worked as New York's starting tight end since the beginning of the season, but through four weeks he had only three catches on eight targets for 37 yards. The rookie exceeded his collective Weeks 1-4 reception and yardage totals in Week 5 on Sunday, finishing third on the Giants in targets, catches and receiving yards. His long gain was a 22-yard catch that set New York up in the red zone on a drive that finished with a Wan'Dale Robinson touchdown reception. Johnson's quiet first four games kept him off the fantasy radar, but managers in need of a tight end may want to keep an eye on him moving forward to see if Johnson can build upon Sunday's performance and establish further rapport with QB Daniel Jones.

OCTOBER 7 • ROTOWIRE

Daniel Jones finds Theo Johnson for 22-yard gain | Giants vs. Seahawks Highlights Quarterback Daniel Jones delivers a pass to tight end Theo Johnson for a 22-yard gain to get the Giants into the red zone.

OCTOBER 6 • GIANTS.COM

One catch in Week 4 Johnson caught his only target for six yards in Thursday's 20-15 loss to Dallas.

Impact Johnson was once again unable to make his mark on offense with New York, securing just one catch for the third time in four games. The tight end played a season-low 71 percent of the offensive snaps as Chris Manhertz and Daniel Bellinger also logged snaps. Johnson has compiled three catches for 37 yards on eight targets over four contests in 2024, remaining an unappealing fantasy option in Brian Daboll's offense.

SEPTEMBER 28 • ROTOWIRE

Quiet in Week 3 win Johnson caught one of three targets for 13 yards in Sunday's 21-15 victory versus the Browns.

Impact Johnson had an opportunity for a bigger stat line, but QB Daniel Jones overthrew him after the tight end got open in the end zone late in the first half. Though Johnson's production in the win was minimal, he did continue to dominate TE reps for New York, logging 81 percent of the team's offensive snaps to Chris Manhertz's 38 percent and Daniel Bellinger's 36 percent. None among the tight-end group is particularly appealing in fantasy with Daniel Jones distributing the heavy majority of his passes this season to receivers Malik Nabers (37 targets) and Wan'Dale Robinson (24 targets) -- Johnson leads the tight-end corps with a meager seven targets through three games.

SEPTEMBER 23 • ROTOWIRE

Quiet in Week 3 win Johnson caught one of three targets for 13 yards in Sunday's 21-15 victory versus the Browns.

Impact Johnson had an opportunity for a bigger stat line, but QB Daniel Jones overthrew him after the tight end got open in the end zone late in the first half. Though Johnson's production in the win was minimal, he did continue to dominate TE reps for New York, logging 81 percent of the team's offensive snaps to Chris Manhertz's 38 percent and Daniel Bellinger's 36 percent. None among the tight-end group is particularly appealing in fantasy with Jones distributing the heavy majority of his passes this season to receivers Malik Nabers (37 targets) and Wan'Dale Robinson (24 targets). Johnson leads the tight-end corps with a meager seven targets through three games.

SEPTEMBER 23 • ROTOWIRE

Dominates tight-end reps Week 1 Johnson caught one of four targets for 18 yards against Minnesota in Sunday's Week 1 loss.

Impact It was a rough game for New York's offense as a whole, and Johnson played a part in that, as he dropped two potential catches in the first half and was missed by QB Daniel Jones on another play despite getting open. The pair did connect on an 18-yard pass in the fourth quarter, and the positive news for Johnson's outlook moving forward is that he logged 61 offensive snaps (86 percent of the team's total). That seems to put him ahead of Daniel Bellinger (16 offensive snaps) and Chris Manhertz (20, primarily in two tight-end sets) in the pecking order at the position, though Johnson will likely need to do a better job of helping the offense in order to maintain that status.

SEPTEMBER 9 • ROTOWIRE

Dominates tight-end reps Week 1 Johnson caught one of four targets for 18 yards against Minnesota in Sunday's Week 1 loss.

Impact It was a rough game for New York's offense as a whole, and Johnson played a part in that, as he dropped two potential catches in the first half and was missed by QB Daniel Jones on another play despite getting open. The pair did connect on an 18-yard pass in the fourth quarter, and the positive news for Johnson's outlook moving forward is that he logged 61 offensive snaps (86 percent of the team's total). That seems to put him ahead of Daniel Bellinger (16 offensive snaps) and Chris Manhertz (20, primarily in two tight-end sets) in the tight-end pecking order, though Johnson will likely need to do a better job of helping the offense in order to maintain that status.

SEPTEMBER 9 • ROTOWIRE

TE Theo Johnson: 'Just got to keep chipping away day by day' Tight end Theo Johnson speaks to the media following the Giants' preseason loss to the Texans.

AUGUST 17 • GIANTS.COM

Continues getting first-team reps 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 refl...

Impact 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).

AUGUST 6 • ROTOWIRE

Hard Knocks: Giants front office scouts Theo Johnson New episode of "Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants" airs Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET on Max.

JULY 30 • GIANTS.COM

Earning first-team reps Johnson took a majority of first-team reps at Monday's practice, Gabriel Trevino of NJ.com reports.

Impact It's a bit surprising given that Johnson is a rookie fourth-round pick and was just activated from the 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.

JULY 29 • ROTOWIRE

TE Theo Johnson on his return to practice Tight end Theo Johnson speaks to the media after Sunday's training camp practice.

JULY 28 • GIANTS.COM

Cleared to practice The Giants activated Johnson (hip) from the active/PUP list Sunday, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

Impact 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.

JULY 28 • ROTOWIRE

TE Theo Johnson passes physical, returns to practice; Giants sign CB Breon Borders The rookie tight end was placed on the PUP list when rookies reported to training camp but will return to practice on Sunday after passing a...

JULY 28 • GIANTS.COM

Expected to practice soon Giants GM Joe Schoen said Wednesday that Johnson (hip) should return to practice soon, SI's Patricia Traina reports.

Impact 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.

JULY 24 • ROTOWIRE

Dealing with hip injury The Giants are hopeful 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.

Impact 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 short-term 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. 08. When healthy, he figures to compete with Daniel Bellinger for the No. 1 tight end role.

JULY 16 • ROTOWIRE

Hits PUP list The Giants placed Johnson (undisclosed) on the PUP list Tuesday with an undisclosed injury, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Impact Johnson will be eligible to come off the PUP list any time during training camp or the preseason, when ready to practice, 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 for the starting tight end job, which is wide open in the wake of Darren Waller's retirement, so it would be a notable blow to his prospects if he's forced to miss a substantial portion of camp.

JULY 16 • ROTOWIRE