The 2023 NFL offseason is in full swing, and with that, training camps edge ever closer to starting. We have seen a new wave of players enter the team both via the draft and free agency, but there is also a large group of returning players from last season as well. This has led to some debates to be had regarding which players will have the largest impact on the roster for the 2023 season.
Each day we will be counting down the 25 most important Saints for the 2023 season. This will be split up into the following categories:
- Recap of their 2022 season
- Projecting their 2023 success
- What is the biggest question mark for them in 2023?
The 14th-ranked player by the Saints Wire staff is tight end Juwan Johnson:
Background
Johnson, once a highly-touted wide receiver, spent four years at Penn State in college before transferring to Oregon for his last season. He wasn’t the most productive college player, tallying 1,590 yards and six touchdowns through four seasons played.
That’s a large reason he went undrafted to the Saints and ended up switching positions to tight end, finding his role in the NFL.
2022 Recap
Johnson has become a fun tight end to watch that was a fantastic receiving threat at times last season. He’s coming into his own and made himself a key part of the offense.
He missed just one game last year, tallying 508 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. He was the second most productive receiving threat on the offense in 2023.
The main thing about Johnson is that all of his touchdowns and best games came within one stretch in the middle of the season, if he can make that more consistent he’ll make for a great piece to this offense.
2023 Outlook
Johnson and new teammate Foster Moreau will lock down the tight end spot for the Saints this year, giving Johnson and upgraded running mate over Adam Trautman from last season.
Johnson matches the type of tight end that has had great success with Carr in the past, such as Darren Waller. Now, Johnson is smaller than Waller and likely won’t be replicating the production that Waller had in 2019 and 2020, but Carr likes those more vertical threat archetype tight ends in his offense.
The former wide receiver was able to have a good season with subpar quarterback play so a big upgrade in who is throwing him the ball should excite fans as they look for more receiving options to be excited about.
Biggest question: Is he more of a gimmick or real tight end?
Whenever you have a player switching positions, the concerns about how good they can be certainly arise. Johnson is small for a tight end, which could be limiting in what roles you want a tight end to fill.
Everyone knows that a former receiver can (or should be able to) run routes and catch the ball, but how does his size affect his blocking? He’s made improvements to his build by bulking up and it has worked out.
What we’ll have to watch as his career comes more into focus as he’s entering his fourth season, is if he continues to build as a blocker. He hasn’t been horrible throughout his career, but adding more on to this part of his game would be huge for the Saints and his personal gain.
