Here’s a great nugget from New Orleans Saints practices this week. NewOrleans.Football’s Mike Triplett caught up with tight end Juwan Johnson after Tuesday’s organized team workout, and Johnson shared that he’s been studying game tape from a surprising wide receiver to prepare for life with Derek Carr at quarterback: former New England Patriots slot receiver Julian Edelman.
“I know the type of role I’ll be doing and (Derek Carr) loves those routes,” Johnson told Triplett, saying Edelman was “one of the best at those choice routes, short-game routes.”
It’s a good idea to look to those who have done it best, even if the 5-foot-10, 198-pound Edelman isn’t much of a physical match for the 6-foot-4, 250-pound Johnson. Carr is known for his accuracy at close range, and having a pass-catcher who can ably run pivot routes on 3rd-and-6 like Edelman would be a coup. That the player running those routes and making those plays also has the size to outmuscle his opponents only makes it more appealing.
That example may also play a part in the months of speculation linking the Saints to one of Carr’s favorite targets with the Las Vegas Raiders: slot receiver Hunter Renfrow, who has been on the trade block as head coach Josh McDaniels makes moves to install his own slot specialists (and who has been often compared to Edelman himself). Even if Johnson is putting in the work to become more of an asset at shorter distances, adding a well-established weapon like Renfrow to the receiving corps could pay off. We’ll see whether Johnson’s efforts at expanding his skill set pay off over the summer, but his stock is clearly on the rise with Carr at quarterback.
