Even though the New York Giants signed Isaiah Likely to a lucrative $45 million contract in free agency, they don't plan to phase Theo Johnson out of the offense. In fact, he's still going to be a key part of the offense since John Harbaugh and Matt Nagy want to run a lot of 12 personnel in 2026.
The third-year tight end is someone the Giants still have big plans for, but there are still some reasons to be concerned. For one, Likely has been one of the more reliable pass-catchers on the roster in camp, but an issue that has plagued Johnson throughout his career has yet to go away in camp.
While going over some offseason depth chart analysis, The Athletic's Dan Duggan reported that the Manitoba native's maddening drop issues have yet to go away. And it sounds like that his lack of consistency--especially in regard to his hands--will be what holds him back from his true potential.
"Johnson is the most well-rounded tight end on the roster, but his maddening drops have continued in camp," Duggan wrote. "Johnson should see plenty of snaps alongside Likely in two-tight end sets, but he needs to become more consistent."
Theo Johnson's dop issues are threatening his time with the Giants
Like Duggan mentioned, the upside the 25-year-old has is tangible. He has size, good speed, and was relatively solid as the feature tight end last year for Big Blue. But an offense where he's the top tight end isn't ideal, especially considering how many passes he's dropped in two years.
Theo Johnson's five drops in 2025 were tied for the fifth-most among all tight ends, with only Mason Taylor, ex-Giant Evan Engram, Travis Kelce, and Juwan Johnson ahead of him. And while he was tied with fellow TEs Zach Ertz, Oronde Gadsen II, and Chig Okonkwo, he has 10 drops since the start of 2024.
Moreover, the Penn State product's drop rate in 2024 wasn't any better. Johnson's 11.8% drop rate marked the highest of any qualified tight end and was the seventh-highest of any pass-catcher in the NFL regardless of position-- so his drops are actively making him a liability for his New York offense.
It doesn't end there. Among players with 45 targets last season, guess who had the highest drop rate per PFF? Johnson was also 26th out of 35 players in yards per route run and was 29th in yards after catch per reception. For a guy who was supposed to be a good athlete and a good YAC threat, those numbers will not cut it.
For as much as things change, they stay the same. No. 84 is the same player who has frustrated Giants fans for the last two seasons, and nothing has changed for the most part. He's had some good moments, but the drop woes haven't left after dropping passes on the first two days of training camp.
Theo Johnson was a reliable target for Jaxson Dart in the red zone, but that's about it--so if his drop issues continue throughout the rest of training camp, don't be surprised if this staff slowly phases him out of the game plan since the G-Men now have better pass-catchers, including Likely.
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