If you were hoping to get through the first week of Giants training camp without tearing your hair out over dropped passes, Theo Johnson has some incredibly bad news for you.
The third-year tight end was supposed to use this summer to prove he was ready to take on a larger role after his pseudo-breakout last year. Instead, he’s spent the first two days of training camp reminding fans exactly why New York invested $40 million in Isaiah Likely.
Johnson has unfortunately started the summer looking like the same frustratingly inconsistent player Giants fans have waited years to see break out. Two brutal practices into training camp, that optimism has already taken a hit.
It started on Wednesday during Big Blue's two-minute drill. The offense was rolling, with Jaxson Dart throwing dots all afternoon. On third-and-3, Johnson ran a curl route and dropped a ball right on the money, ruining an otherwise perfect passing day for Jaxson Dart -- it turned out to be the only legitimate incompletion of the day for Dart.
If you thought he’d come out hungry to put the drop behind him on Thursday, think again. History did what it does and repeated itself, with the 25-year-old dropping his second pass in as many days. It's been an ugly trend for the 6-foot-6, 260-pounder, but thanks to John Harbaugh's obsession with tight ends, the offense has the ultimate insurance policy.
Theo Johnson wasted no time proving Giants right by signing Isaiah Likely
The frustrating reality is that three years in, Johnson’s hands are still as much of a roller coaster as ever. He actually put up some pretty solid numbers last year, hauling in 45 catches for 528 yards and five scores. But he also dropped seven passes, and after opening training camp with back-to-back drops, it’s becoming harder to chalk the issue up to growing pains.
Luckily, New York factored in that possibility.
Likely’s three-year, $40 million contract drew some criticism for being an overpay. Two practices into training camp, it’s already looking a lot more understandable. The G-Men now have a legitimate TE1 they can turn to while Johnson figures out how not to drop passes.
The former Penn State standout hasn’t exactly kicked butt over the first 48 hours of camp. Instead of proving he’s ready for a breakout, Johnson has only reinforced the biggest red flag that’s followed him since entering the league -- if only he didn't have feet for hands.
This is not to say No. 84 won't have a big role in this offense -- he will. And he still has a lot of time to find his way, but the drops are just super discouraging.
The good news for Big Blue is that they don’t have to force Johnson into a role he hasn’t quite earned yet. That’s exactly why Harbaugh and Co. brought in Likely. Johnson can continue developing without the offense depending on him to be their only answer at tight end. After the first two days of camp, the Likely insurance policy is already looking like one of the smartest moves of the offseason.
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