Juwan Johnson is going to be a factor in Saints offense this year

The New Orleans Saints have been hit hard by injuries at the tight end position with both Adam Trautman and Nick Vannett getting banged up on Monday. While this could be catastrophic for the Saints, they do have an intriguing option on the depth chart by the name of Juwan Johnson.

Johnson has an interesting storyline, as he previously played wide receiver before transitioning to tight end this offseason. It’s a move that could save the Saints’ season at the position, as Vannett is going to miss 2-4 weeks, opening up the backup tight end job.

While Johnson should easily slide into the backup job, he could even find himself as the starting tight end when the season gets underway in September. Trautman was injured during the game also and while the injury isn’t said to be severe, Trautman hasn’t done much to establish himself as the starter so far this offseason.

Watch out for Juwan Johnson this year, Saints fans!

Johnson split time with Penn State and Oregon during his college career with his best season coming in 2017 when he hauled in 54 receptions for 701 yards and a touchdown. His career-high in touchdowns as a college player was during his lone year with Oregon when he found the end zone four times.

Johnson didn’t get into the action much last year, appearing in seven games (and starting four) grabbing just four receptions for 39 yards. He’ll be a much bigger factor this year and we’ve already seen him and Jameis Winston form an established chemistry during preseason.

This will be important for the regular season (assuming Winston wins the job), as Winston clearly trusts Johnson and we’ve seen how that is.

Juwan Johnson might not be a well-known name as of now but by the end of the 2021 season, there’s a legitimate chance that he’s the Saints’ starting tight end.