The Houston Texans kept just four wide receivers on their 53-man roster, which led many to believe they would claim a wideout off of waivers. On Wednesday, Houston claimed just one player as all teams went through the waiver wire process, and that player was former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Tyler Johnson.
While Johnson was a casualty of the 53-man roster deadline, he is seen by many as a young wideout with potential who got pushed down a loaded depth chart that includes Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Russell Gage and Julio Jones.
The Minnesota product was originally selected by the Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Johnson was named first-team All-Big Ten in both of his final two collegiate seasons after putting up over 1,100 receiving yards in both campaigns. He caught 12 touchdowns as a junior and 13 as a senior. In 31 career NFL games with six starts, Johnson has caught 48 passes for 529 yards and two touchdowns. His best outing came last year against the New Orleans Saints on Halloween, as he caught five passes for 65 yards.
The 24-year-old joins a wide receiver room comprised of Brandin Cooks, Nico Collins, Phillip Dorsett and Chris Moore. He should be able to compete immediately for playing time.
