The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have to adjust without Mike Evans, but the team has spent the past two drafts stocking the receiver room with young talent. Emeka Egbuka, Tez Johnson and Ted Hurst are all in the mix now, and Johnson already looks like one of the more interesting pieces in the group.
Johnson didn’t arrive in Tampa with a ton of hype, but he made his presence felt as a rookie in 2025. The Oregon product finished with 28 catches for 322 yards and five touchdowns, and his year took off after a quiet opening stretch.
Through the Bucs’ first three games, he had just three targets and no receptions. After that, the door opened.
Once Johnson got rolling, he stayed rolling. He posted five straight games with at least 40 receiving yards and scored four touchdowns during that stretch. Against the New England Patriots, he turned in one of his best outings, catching four passes for 42 yards and finding the end zone twice.
What stands out with Johnson is the burst. His speed and ability to threaten deep give Tampa another weapon to lean on, especially with Evans gone. That upside was on display again at OTAs, where ESPN’s NFL Nation labeled him the Bucs’ most surprising performer.
"Maybe this won't shock a lot of people considering Johnson was pressed into action extensively last year in his rookie season and had five touchdowns, but in arguably the most competitive room on the team, Johnson stood out," ESPN's Jenna Laine wrote. "He had two touchdown catches from Jake Browning in their final practice and caught several others."
Johnson also made it clear where his head is when it comes to football. On Sunday, he spoke about how much the game means to him.
"I tell people all the time, 'If they take all the money away, I’d still play football,'" Johnson said. "I just love the game."
That kind of attitude fits with the way teammates view him. Bucky Irving, who was his collegiate running mate, described their bond last May.
"Tez used to always say when he would be watching my games or anything like that, he would say, 'Bro, I want to come down with you to Tampa.' Then it happened, so I guess he got what he wanted."
Now Johnson’s next challenge is simple enough to say and hard enough to win: keep climbing in one of Tampa Bay’s deepest position groups. He’ll be battling Jalen McMillan and Hurst for WR3 and WR4 snaps, and if his rookie year was any indication, he’s already shown he belongs in the conversation.
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What followed was a practice that boiled over enough to force a coach-led meeting aimed at cooling things down and getting everyone back on the same page. With injuries and rest opening the door, receivers lower on the depth chart got more chances to work, but the bigger story was the frustration on the field and the challenge Todd Bowles faced in trying to restore order before the temperature rises any further. [Read more 🡒]