Tag: Tyron Johnson

Raiders add WR Tyron Johnson to practice squad with potential quick call up

Raiders add WR Tyron Johnson to practice squad with potential quick call up

Over Tyron Johnson’s first five NFL catches last season, he averaged 44 yards per catch. The former Chargers wide out’s second catch went for 50 yards against the Raiders. Now he’s joining the Raiders.

Johnson is signing to the Raiders practice squad according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport who adds that the team could call the second-year receiver up to the active roster quickly.

The former undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State was waived by the Chargers prior to the start of this season and was claimed by the Jaguars. Johnson didn’t have nearly the same impact in Jacksonville as he had to start his career in Los Angeles. With just two catches for 16 yards in five game appearances this season, he was waived this week.

The 6-1, 193-pound receiver ran a 4.36 40-yard dash at his Pro Day. Speed the Raiders could use in their receiving corps.

The LSU transfer put up 53 catches for 845 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior for the Cowboys.

Jaguars waive WR Tyron Johnson

Johnson finishes his Jacksonville career with two catches for 16 yards.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are shaking things up at receiver after the unit has struggled in recent weeks. On Tuesday, the team announced that it was releasing receiver Tyron Johnson, who was claimed off waivers on Sept. 1 after his release from the Los Angeles Chargers.

Johnson was claimed with the hopes of bringing some speed to the receiving corps, but he never really caught on with the offense and struggled to see the field. As a result, Laquon Treadwell and Tavon Austin have been the only reserve receivers used in recent weeks.

Though he was active for the first four games, his only appearance since came in the Week 8 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, in which he had two targets on 13 snaps (both season highs for him). He dropped a deep ball late in that game, and he finishes his Jags tenure with just two catches for 16 yards.

He was signed with the hope that he could replicate some of his late-season success last season with the Los Angeles Chargers. He finished the 2020 season with 20 catches for 398 yards and three touchdowns, becoming one of Justin Herbert’s favorite targets later in the season. An undrafted player in 2019 out of Oklahoma State, Johnson bounced around a bit before landing in Los Angeles last year.

With Johnson gone, Jacksonville will likely look to find another speedy receiver, as the only player on the roster who currently fits that profile is converted cornerback and return specialist Jamal Agnew. His release makes it likely that veteran receiver John Brown, who was added to the practice squad last week, will be active for the game against San Francisco on Sunday.

Bye week stock report for Jags’ offense

With the #Jaguars on their bye week, it’s time for a stock report to reflect on whose on the rise for the team and who could afford to come out stronger afterward.

The Jacksonville Jaguars won’t be taking the field this week due to being on their bye week, giving fans a bit of time to recoup from what’s been an exhausting start. However, the good thing about the team taking their bye this week is that they went into it on a high note after defeating the Miami Dolphins in London Sunday.

After reflecting on the Jags’ first six games, now is as good a time as any to do a stock report as there have been players who’ve impressed and some who’ve fallen short of expectations. Let’s take a look at six names on offense whose stock is either up or down:

Podcast: Discussing Jags’ moves before and after 53-man roster cuts

The Jags Wire crew discussed the addition of speedster Tyron Johnson and much more in the latest episode of “Bleav in the Jags.” As always, it’s one you don’t want to miss.

In the latest episode (No. 85) of “Bleav in the Jags,” Jags Wire’s James Johnson and Phil Smith reviewed the Jacksonville Jaguars’ last preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys, which was a 34-14 victory for the Cardiac Cats. More importantly, it was a game in which the Jags’ offense gained some momentum, which was the biggest talking point of the episode’s recap.

Afterward, the duo looked at the moves the Jags made to get to their initial 53-man roster and the addition of receiver Tyron Johnson, which occurred on the next day. The also discussed the practice squad unit, which had some standouts from the preseason on it.

Episode 85 can be heard below in the media player, while archived episodes can be revisited here.

Feel free to subscribe to “Bleav in the Jags” via Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or Spotify.

Chargers’ 53-man roster shows a strong commitment to fixing shaky special teams

After finishing with the worst special teams in 2020, the Chargers are expecting a major turnaround.

A combination of poor coverage and return skills, bone-headed penalties and  kicking woes led to the Chargers having the worst special teams in the NFL last season.

The first step to fixing the department came with the hiring of Derius Swinton II, who is entering his 14th season as a special teams coach.

While the change in the coaching staff was one thing, the players that make up the 53-man roster shows how a great of an emphasis head coach Brandon Staley and company put on the unit.

“We want to elevate the standard of performance,” Staley said. We’re looking for guys to separate and create roles for themselves. We expect them to do things a certain way.”

The first act of service was finding a starter kicker, which they did by keeping Tristan Vizcaino over Michael Badgley. Staley highlighted Vizcaino as a player who they believe has “real talent,” lauding his leg strength.

The next came when the team established one of their return specialists. Instead of keeping the talented Tyron Johnson, it was K.J. Hill who they decided to roll with as the fifth and final receiver because of his ability to return punts.

Keeping guys that they felt would make an impact on the coverage units was also strongly taken in consideration, which is why bubble players like undrafted rookie Amen Ogbongbemiga, Kemon Hall, Tevaughn Campbell and Stephen Anderson made the cut.

Like the puzzling decision to move on from Johnson, the Chargers didn’t shy away from letting notable names go that they felt didn’t bring much special teams value. That includes Brandon Facyson, who was released on Wednesday in favor of Trey Marshall and eventually Ryan Smith.

The reasoning? Staley called Marshall an “outstanding special teams player.”

Los Angeles wants to be a playoff team in 2021, but they need to see improvement in their special teams unit to make that happen. With the staff and players the team boasts, there is hope this department will be much more competent.

Report: Jags claim former Chargers WR Tyron Johnson off waivers

With Urban Meyer wanting another speed threat on the Jags’ 53-man roster, the team will be adding Tyron Johnson, who had a 19.9 receiving yard average last season.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have the top priority in the waiver claim and there was little doubt that they wouldn’t look to use it Wednesday. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, one player they’ve already exercised that luxury on is former Los Angeles Chargers receiver Tyron Johnson, who is entering his third NFL season.

This decision was one fans saw coming from a mile away because the team only named five receivers to its initial roster. Additionally, the cuts were a sign of Urban Meyer wanting more speed and explosiveness at receiver, as the unit struggled to create separation at times.

While with the Chargers last season (his first on a regular season roster), Johnson registered 20 receptions for just under 400 yards and three touchdowns. Most importantly, he registered a 19.9 receiving yard average, which speaks volumes about what he offers as a threat down the field.

Johnson went undrafted in 2019 out of Oklahoma State to the Houston Texans. That same season, he spent time on the Buffalo Bills, Texans, and Carolina Panthers’ practice squads. He then joined the Chargers afterward where he was paired with the strong-armed Justin Herbert.

With many comparing Jags rookie Trevor Lawrence to the Chargers’ franchise signal-caller, the hope is that Johnson can help the rookie by providing some more speed to a group that already has fast weapons like DJ Chark and Tavon Austin.

Chargers’ Brandon Staley talks decision to release WR Tyron Johnson

Deciding to let go of the ascending wide receiver was arguably the biggest surprise.

Among the biggest surprises with the Chargers’ initial 53-man roster was the absence of wide receiver Tyron Johnson.

After emerging as one of top pass-catching options last season, it was expected that Johnson was going to take another step. However, it won’t be in the blue and gold.

Upon seeing the report, fans quickly grew puzzled and wondered why Johnson wasn’t going to be back.

Following Tuesday’s practice, head coach Brandon Staley explained the decision to release Johnson, citing that it was a numbers issue and not having a place on special teams for him.

“It was a tough one, a really tough one,” Staley said. “T-Billy has done a lot for this team in the past and he did some good things for us in camp. That was one of the tougher conversations that I had today.

I think that we have a really deep receiver room. There’s a lot of competition. I think that it’s just one of things where it’s more numbers, not so much how we feel about him as a player, because I have a lot of respect for his game.

Just where we’re at from a numbers standpoint, and then the kicking game, being a big aspect of those back-end receiver roles. Just felt like going in this direction would be the right direction for us right now.”

Given that special teams upside is crucial, they elected to keep K.J. Hill as the fifth receiver. Hill made the team solely as the punt returner, with the ability to return kicks, too.

Johnson is a practice squad candidate, but if the Chargers decide to move on from him altogether, a handful of teams will likely be inquiring to bring in the speedy wideout who averaged 19.9 yards per reception in 2020.

Chargers WR Josh Palmer reveals who he models his game after

Chargers wide receiver Josh Palmer’s skillset is pro-ready.

Everybody in the NFL has somebody they model their games after.

For Chargers rookie wide receiver Josh Palmer, he patterns his game after Falcons’ Julio Jones and Buccaneers’ Antonio Brown.

Having not played a single regular season game yet, Palmer is nowhere near the two from a talent standpoint. But you can see some similarities that could eventually put Palmer in position to produce as much as they have.

While Palmer’s physical profile is more comparable to Jones, all three have good initial releases off the line of scrimmage to get into their routes in a hurry, explosive and crafty ways of consistently getting open.

Palmer’s pro-ready skillset and size have been on display all summer, as the former Tennessee product has raised eyebrows with his ability to separate and catch everything on a regular basis.

“He’s polished,” Keenan Allen said of Palmer. “You can tell he’s polished and knows what to do. He obviously knows releases, he knows leverage. He just knows how to run routes already.”

Entering camp, the battle for the third wide receiver between Palmer, Tyron Johnson and Jalen Guyton was anyone’s game, but the rookie gradually stood above the pack.

Even though offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi constantly rotates his receivers in based on the defense’s package they’re in, it will be hard to keep Palmer off the field.

With his ability to win at all levels of the field and make things happen with the football in his hands, Palmer should quickly become one of Justin Herbert’s go-to targets.

Chargers preseason: 4 position battles to watch vs. Rams

Even though some of the Chargers starters aren’t likely to play much, there are still a few position battles to watch.

The Chargers finally take the field on Saturday night for the first preseason matchup between the Rams at SoFi Stadium.

Don’t expect to see the starters on the field for all that long, but there are still some position battles that will need to be monitored closely.

Here are four position battles to keep an eye on:

Running back

Austin Ekeler is not expected to play a single snap this preseason, which means that the spotlight is on those who will be fighting for the roles behind him: Justin Jackson, Joshua Kelley, Larry Rountree and Darius Bradwell.

Up to this point, Jackson has gotten the higher-up reps. Kelley, on the other hands, has looked improved, including in the passing game. Rountree hasn’t received a lot of attention, but his physicality as a runner has stood out.

Wide receiver

Like Ekeler, Keenan Allen isn’t likely to play in the preseason, and it wouldn’t be surprising to not see Mike Williams all that much, either. Nonetheless, who shines among the trio Tyron Johnson, Jalen Guyton and rookie Josh Palmer is an intriguing thing to watch for.

On the back end of the position, there’s going to be an intense battle for the last spot(s). After being drafted last year, K.J. Hill and Joe Reed need to prove themselves to the new coaching staff. But summer standouts like Austin Proehl and Jason Moore will be giving them a run for their money.

Swing tackle

The Chargers have their starting tackles set in stone with rookie Rashawn Slater and Bryan Bulaga, but if one of them goes down with an injury, who will be the next man up to fill the void?

Returning players who are vouching for the second spot on the depth chart are Trey Pipkins and Storm Norton. Added into the mix are rookies Brenden Jaimes, Darius Harper and Kyle Spalding.

Pipkins and Norton are the current front-runners, but have they improved from last season to be counted on? The two must show more functional strength to hold up against stronger pass-rushers on a snap-to-snap basis.

Defensive tackle

The four players presumed to earn a spot are Linval Jospeh, Jerry Tillery, Justin Jones and Christian Covington, but the final spot(s) is up for grabs.

The battle will be between returners Breiden Fehoko and Cortez Broughton has been a polarizing one up to this point, as the two have looked notably improved as pass rushers.

Future is bright for Chargers WR Josh Palmer

The Chargers are expecting big things from rookie Josh Palmer.

Chargers wide receiver Josh Palmer never surpassed 500 receiving yards or five touchdown catches in his four seasons at Tennessee, but based on each of his showings at training camp, he is bound to be a lot more productive in this league.

Palmer, the team’s third round pick, has been putting on a clinic, steadily building a solid rapport with quarterback Justin Herbert, with his ability to get consistently get open at all three levels of the field and reeling in all of his targets.

Behind Keenan Allen, Palmer has been the second-best wideout up to this point. Mike Williams has been quiet. Tyron Johnson flashed early on, but he has missed the last three practices. Jalen Guyton hasn’t done anything to move the needle.

Despite the lack of production in college, his polished skill set and impressive size were tailor-made for the NFL, and it’s been on display at Jack Hammett Sports Complex. Defensive backs have struggled to make up for his precise route-running and downfield speed.

Entering camp, the battle for the third wide receiver was anyone’s game but Palmer is gradually making his mark each and everyday at camp.

Even though offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi constantly rotates his receivers in based on the defense’s personnel, it will be hard to keep Palmer off the field if he continues to perform at a high level.

With his ability to separate at all levels of the field and make things happen with the football in his hands, Palmer could quickly become one of Herbert’s go-to targets this upcoming season and beyond.