Tampa Bay entered the 2026 NFL regular season with plenty of eyes on the Buccaneers’ bigger names. Chris Godwin Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Ted Hurst, Jalen McMillan and even Cade Otton drew attention, while Tez Johnson was easy to overlook. That’s not the case anymore.
Johnson has been the wideout outperforming the rest of the group, and he’s doing it in a big way. With McMillan injured again and Egbuka struggling to stay efficient at fewer than six yards per target, Johnson is sitting near 14 yards per target and has emerged as Tampa Bay’s most dangerous playmaker at the position.
His biggest statement came against the Cowboys. Johnson turned his lone catch into a 64-yard gain, and that one play helped ignite the offense on the way to Tampa Bay’s 24-16 win over Dallas. It was the kind of snap that changes how a team has to be defended.
The impressive part is that Johnson only saw one target and still made it count. Even before that explosive play, he was already leading the group in yards per target. That’s a clear sign the Buccaneers should be looking his way more often.
What Johnson has shown is simple: he can get separation downfield and he can do damage in space after the catch. The catch against Dallas came with him wide open, but he still deserves credit for creating that window and for capitalizing on the attention being paid elsewhere.
That matters because the Buccaneers do not have to keep hammering the ball to Egbuka when he is not even averaging 10 yards per reception. Johnson gives them a different kind of threat, one that can produce chunk gains and make the rest of the passing game easier to manage.
And with the running game rolling the way it did against Dallas, including Bucky Irving piling up well over 150 yards on the ground, Johnson adds a vertical edge that fits perfectly. Put that kind of downfield speed next to a smashmouth, three-headed running back crew, and defenses have a real problem on their hands.
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Baker Mayfield Is Still Driving The Bucs Through This QB Crisis
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Buccaneers Could Face One Painful Deadline Decision If Losses Keep Mounting
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Among the names being discussed are Chris Godwin, Kenneth Gainwell and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, each for different reasons tied to contract status and recent usage. The Bucs do not have to make a move, but the slower the season goes, the harder it becomes to ignore the idea that a few productive assets could help reshape what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Suddenly Have A Jake Ferguson Problem Fans Didn't Expect
The Cowboys Week 5 loss to the Buccaneers was bad enough on its own, but it also left one of Dallas more reliable passing-game pieces under an uncomfortable spotlight. Dak Prescotts interceptions were part of the damage in Tampa Bay, yet the sequence that lingered came on a dropped pass by Jake Ferguson, a mistake that fit into a sloppy afternoon for a team that came in favored and still walked out beaten.
Brian Schottenheimer has already made clear the entire roster is under review after the performance, and that includes the tight end room. Fergusons usage is now part of the conversation as Dallas looks for ways to clean up the offense, with adjustments to roles possible as soon as next week against the Packers. One name to watch in that mix is Brevyn Spann-Ford, who could be in line for more chances if the Cowboys decide to shuffle things around. [Read more 🡒]