The New York Giants have a young, emerging offense led by rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. Through his first six starts, Dart has begun to pick his favorite targets.
Among those targets emerging is one with plenty of promise — and one fatal flaw.
Theo Johnson needs to fix his drops issue
Second-year tight end Theo Johnson has become a focal point in the Giants’ offense and is emerging as one of Dart’s favorite targets. He has received at least four targets in every game that Dart has started and has even seen seven targets come his way in two of those six contests.
However, Johnson’s reception rate when targeted has fallen this season to a lowly 39.5%. Part of the reason why is his knack for dropping the football. Johnson has a career 13.3% drop rate per PFF, including an 11.5% drop rate this season.
Johnson has dropped four passes this season, with several of them coming at crucial moments in these games.
If Johnson could fix this fatal flaw, he could become a dangerous weapon for the Giants. The 6-foot-8, 264-pounder out of Penn State has flashed his athleticism and potential throughout the last two seasons, but drops have held him back from becoming a star.
The Giants value Johnson’s potential
When he does hang onto the ball, however, Johnson has proven to be a valuable player for the Giants’ offense. He leads the team with five receiving touchdowns this season and has totaled 239 yards on 26 receptions.
In Week 10, Johnson scored a catch-and-run touchdown on which he bulldozed his way through defenders to power himself across the goal line — a true demonstration of his potential power.
But the Giants need more consistency from Johnson, a 2024 fourth-round pick out of Penn State. He has come up big in specific moments, but many of them have been overshadowed by his costly drops.
Johnson has the potential to be a quality tight end for the Giants — and one of Dart’s favorite targets. But he must become more dependable first.