New York Giants rookie tight end Theo Johnson was a fourth-round selection (107th overall pick) in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Penn State. With Darren Waller officially announcing his retirement from the NFL, Johnson has a chance to be the starting tight end come Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season.
Waller was acquired in a trade from the Las Vegas Raiders last offseason. General manager Joe Schoen made the move at the time because they needed to give quarterback Daniel Jones more help, but the move did not work out for them.
As of now, he is now number two on the New York Giants tight end depth chart. Daniel Bellinger is in line to be the starting tight end for the Giants this season.
Kevin Hickey Of Sporting News Has New York Giants Tight End Theo Johnson As a Player To Watch In Mini Camp
A mandatory mini-camp will be this week for the New York Giants. Kevin Hickey listed rookie tight end Theo Johnson as one of his five players to watch for this week for the Giants. Hickey said about Johnson being a player to watch this week:
“While we shouldn’t be sleeping on the talents of Daniel Bellinger, all eyes will be on the rookie tight end now that Darren Waller made his retirement official ahead of minicamp. This was the expected outcome all along after Waller spent the offseason away from the team.
Now, however, Johnson doesn’t have to worry about Waller potentially stealing snaps once the rookie has earned a role. He’s been one of the most consistent players on offense during the offseason workouts so it will be interesting to see if he’s able to climb the depth chart before training camp arrives.”
Had Darren Waller stayed with the Giants and not retired, Theo Johnson would have been third on the depth chart and not second. Waller would have been the starting tight end for New York, but he decided to move on with his life without the game of football.
Johnson in 13 games last season with the Penn State Nittany Lions caught 34 passes for 341 yards receiving and seven touchdowns, along with averaging 10.0 yards per catch. Theo Johnson could be a player to watch out for in the New York Giants offense later this season depending on how things unfold.
He performed very well during OTAs and this is why he has a chance to be the Giants starting tight end this season. There will be other names to watch for, but the starting tight end position is up for grabs throughout the summer.
