Drafted in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, former Minnesota Golden Gophers wide receiver Tyler Johnson arrived to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a lot of hype surrounding what he could become.
Johnson’s production grew in year two up 24 catches and nearly 200 yards from his output his rookie year.
But his catch percentage dropped five percent, yards per reception decreased by four full yards on average, and he failed to find the end zone.
Stack all of that on top of his showing up to training camp out of shape and the clear occasions at times he and quarterback Tom Brady were on completely different pages, and there’s a lot of concern surrounding the third-year receiver and whether or not he’ll ever reach his full potential.
Sometimes, in these situations, teams decide it’s best to part ways with young talent.
According to Bleacher Report’s Ian Wharton, this may be just what Johnson needs, but also what another young player in the league could use to jumpstart their careers.
“The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have assembled a depth chart with eight roster-worthy receivers,” Wharton writes. “Swapping one to take a flier at another position only makes sense. The best candidate for an available edge-rusher is Ben Banogu.”
Banogu was drafted in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts and has produced just two and a half sacks earning zero starts in the three seasons since.
Currently, he is projected by some to be the team’s sixth defensive end, not where any team wants a second-round pick playing in his fourth NFL season.
