Chargers 90-in-90: WR Tyron Johnson

Johnson was became a top-5 wideout in the entire country while prepping at Warren Easton High School in New Orleans. As a junior, Johnson caught 87 passes for 1,433 yards and 17 touchdowns. As a senior, he hauled in a whopping 94 passes for 1,589 yards and another 17 scores. After being named a First-Team All-State selection and a member of the 2014 All-USA Team by USA Today, Johnson earned a five-star rating by Rivals and was considered the No. 2 wide receiver prospect in the entire country. After receiving an invite and participating in the Under Armour All-American Game, Johnson accepted an offer to play for the LSU Tigers.

His time in Baton Rouge came to a quick end after a freshman season that saw him catch just nine passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns. According to his father, Johnson wanted to play in a more “wide-open offense.” At the time, that was not the type of offense LSU was.

Johnson eventually chose to transfer to Oklahoma State which has been known to have one of the most wide-open offenses in the country under Mike Gundy. After sitting out the entire 2016 season due to transfer restrictions, Johnson spent his first season in Stillwater behind future second-round pick, James Washington. As a redshirt sophomore, he caught 18 passes for 293 yards and three scores across 10 games played.

As a senior, Johnson started all 13 games for the Cowboys and totaling 53 catches for 845 yards and seven touchdowns with an additional rushing touchdown. In both years at Oklahoma State, Johnson was named an Academic All-Big 12 honoree.

During the Cowboys’ pro day, Johnson turned heads when he clocked in at 4.34 in the forty-yard dash. That mark would have been among the top-5 marks at that year’s NFL Combine.

Johnson would go undrafted in 2018 and initially signed as an undrafted free agent with the Houston Texans. He would eventually get cut and spend time with Buffalo Bills and Carolina Panthers before settling in with the Chargers in December of 2019.

Johnson saw his first time on the active game day roster during the team’s week four matchup with the Bucs. He showed up when his number was called, hauling in his first catch with the Bolts for a huge 53-yard touchdown.

The former UDFA would end the season with 20 total catches for 398 yards and three scores. He ended with a notable 19.9 yards per reception. One last fun fact is that the first three catches of Johnson’s NFL career all went for at least 50 yards. That’s probably a record, but I’m not sure how to confirm that.

Basic Info

Height: 6’1
Weight: 196
College: LSU/Oklahoma State
Experience: 2
Years with team: 2

Contract Status

“Tyron Johnson signed a 2 year, $1,390,000 contract with the Los Angeles Chargers, including an average annual salary of $695,000. In 2021, Johnson will earn a base salary of $780,000, while carrying a cap hit of $780,000.” - Spotrac.com

The Good

Johnson can burn with the best of them. His speed is what earned him role in the offense at first, but his ability to be a threat at the short and intermediate levels is what caused his playing time to increase as the year went on. Injuries to Keenan Allen and Mike Williams helped with this, as well, but he still managed to capitalize on the opportunities given to him.

The Bad

Johnson is still an inexperienced player at the NFL level and he only has 20 catches to his name. It’s all good to feel the hype around him, but it’s not a bad idea to be realistic about his situation, as well. If he continues to progress his game into a more well-rounded direction, he should be just fine.

Odds of making the roster/What to expect in 2021?

Johnson is a lock to make the final roster and could push to be the team’s third wideout behind Allen and Williams. I believe he’s a more complete receiver right now compared to Jalen Guyton and the former should end up being the team’s primary deep threat by the time the season gets started.