Skip to content

Ad Disclosure

‘He’s got a great, great future’: Bucs head coach raves about former Gophers WR Tyler Johnson

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

When Tyler Johnson slipped all the way to the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, you knew the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were getting an absolute steal. After seeing the wide receiver tear up the B1G for several seasons at Minnesota, it was hard to believe there wasn’t more value teams saw in him.

Tampa Bay really reaped the benefits of Johnson’s late availability in the draft. It’s helping Tom Brady and the Bucs quite a bit during the season and in the playoffs.

Johnson came up with a huge play in Sunday’s game between Tampa Bay and New Orleans, contorting his body to make a diving catch to keep a Buccaneers drive alive. It was one of the best catches of the playoffs so far.

That reception was Johnson’s only of the afternoon, totaling just 15 yards on the day, but it was a big one. And head coach Bruce Arians says it’s just a sample of what the former Gophers wide receiver can do at the NFL level.

“Tyler — I mean very few guys can twist and turn to make that catch,” Arians said. “But Tom put it out there and he knew Tyler could make that catch. I mean, he’s got a great, great future.”

During the regular season, Johnson totaled 12 catches for 169 yards and 2 touchdowns, averaging 14.1 yards per reception. The catch against the Saints is Johnson’s only of the postseason.

Tampa Bay will be back in action on Sunday, taking on Green Bay with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB