Which players will break out this year in the NFL and become stars? Jarrett Bailey of Touchdown Wire recently revealed his 2024 NFL All-Breakout Team and New York Giants rookie tight end Theo Johnson is on it.
I really liked how Theo Johnson performed at the Senior Bowl, and he’s coming off a really nice year at Penn State, as well. He caught 34 passes and seven touchdowns in 2023, and proved himself as one of the best tight ends in the country. I have some hesitations to give him any sort of projections considering who his quarterbacks are. However, without Darren Waller, and with a thin line of talent when it comes to pass-catchers, Johnson is going to be the top tight end on the roster and is going to get a fair share of targets.
Johnson (6’6″, 260), a fourth-round selection in this year’s NFL draft (107th overall), is expected to play a bigger role if Waller decides to retire this summer.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll, whose son Christian was a classmate of Johnson’s at Penn State, had good things to say about the rookie who could make a significant contribution this year.
“He’s smart. He’s a young professional, a true pro, loves the game,” Daboll said earlier this month. “Has good size. Can bend. Can run. Obviously tested really well. But had a really good pro day, too, at Penn State, moving around, running his routes, hitting the bag. You can only get so much out of it. You can tell his bend, you can tell he’s athletic. He’s a good guy we thought we could work with.”
The Giants will incorporate Johnson into their tight end room, which has gotten crowded with Waller’s anticipated departure. They will elevate Daniel Bellinger into a larger role and will shuttle in two free agent veterans — Jack Stoll and Chris Manhertz — into the blocking and short-yardage roles.
Johnson will have to prove that he can be the seam-breaker and end-zone threat that Waller was in order for him to get the reps needed to break out. But first, he’s got to show he belongs.
“I think the big thing for me is consistency,” Johnson said. “Being consistent. I’ll flash a lot of really good things on tape, but it’s putting all that stuff together every single snap that’s going to help me reach my potential.”
