New York Giants 2023 UFA Primer: WR Marcus Johnson

The Giants need to upgrade their wide receiver corps. Should Marcus Johnson be a part of that upgrade?

Marcus Johnson, WR

Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 204 lbs.
Age: 28
NFL Exp.: 6 seasons
College: Texas

Throughout the six seasons New York Giants wide receiver Marcus Johnson has played in the NFL, he’s been mainly deployed as a backup role player and special teamer.

As a rookie with the Philadelphia Eagles, Johnson played in 65 pass snaps, reeling in five receptions on eight targets for 45 yards. Following his rookie campaign, Johnson was traded to the Seattle Seahawks on March 7, 2018, before being traded again that September to the Indianapolis Colts.

Johnson was with the Colts for three seasons (2018, 2019, 2020), starting in nine of the 24 games he played, where he caught 37 of his 69 targets for 634 yards and three touchdowns.

During his time with the Colts, Johnson had a couple of memorable performances, one of which took place over Week 14 in 2019 and included three catches on seven targets for 105 yards and a touchdown. In the ensuing season, Johnson posted a career-high 108 receiving yards on five catches over Week 6 in 2020.

Despite illustrating spurts of his potential, Johnson was waived by the Colts in 2021, only to be signed a few days later by the Tennessee Titans. However, Johnson would find himself on the injured reserve twice throughout the season, catching just nine of his 17 targets for 160 yards.

After being waived by the Titans in 2021, Johnson signed with the San Francisco 49ers on April 11, 2022, only to be released that August. On September 6, the Giants signed Johnson to their practice squad before being elevated to the active roster for their Week 4 and 5 matchups in October.

2022 Recap

In his sole season with the Giants, Johnson started in a career-high seven of his 14 games. In 200 pass snaps, the most since 2019, Johnson came away with nine receptions on 20 targets for 99 yards and zero touchdowns.

Though he wasn’t as productive as a receiver, Johnson did contribute plenty as a gunner on special teams. In 144 snaps on special teams, Johnson came away with three tackles, a career-high.

In short, Johnson found it difficult to establish a more consistent foothold within the Giants offensive system. But the versatility he displayed as a wide receiver and special teamer provided an important spark for the Giants, especially when they were dealt with key injuries to their wide receiver corp.

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GIANTS UFA PRIMERS: QB Daniel Jones | IOL Nick Gates | RB Saquon Barkley | C Jon Feliciano | IDL Justin Ellis | RB Matt Breida | LS Casey Kreiter | OLB Jihad Ward | Sterling Shepard | IDL Nicholas Williams | DB Tony Jefferson | S/ILB Landon Collins | WR Richie James | P Jamie Gillan

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Why Giants Should Keep Him

One major dilemma throughout the 2022 season for the Giants was how banged up their wide receiver unit was. After losing Colin Johnson to a torn Achilles injury in the preseason, the Giants severely lost both Sterling Shepard (torn ACL) and Wan’Dale Robinson (also torn ACL) over the regular season, depleting what was initially a robust unit.

As a result, having Marcus Johnson’s veteran playmaking ability off the bench was big for the Giants, particularly as a deep-ball threat. Despite not receiving many reps with quarterback Daniel Jones, Johnson now has a year’s worth of experience within this Giants offense. He could continue to build off of the production he could garner.

Lastly, Johnson was helpful on special teams for the Giants, producing some solid play despite recording a career-high in snaps. With that kind of versatility, along with the fact that the Giants were able to bring him on for a cost-efficient $1,035,000 one-year deal in 2022, re-signing Johnson could be worth the consideration.

Why Giants Shouldn’t Keep Him

Johnson hasn’t illustrated anything particularly special throughout his career to propel him above the pack of unrestricted wide receiver free agents. Though we’ve seen glimpses of his deep-ball potential, Johnson’s struggles with elevating his game and growing into a better receiver has only persisted following his 2019 and 2020 seasons with the Colts.

In addition, Johnson was solid on special teams but not particularly great, missing two tackles on the season (tied in third on the team). Unless the Giants find themselves in a financial pinch when looking to pad their depth, it might be best to move on from Johnson.

Keep or Dump?

Being a backup isn’t easy, seeing that playing time can be limited and unpredictable. But when you receive the reps and the opportunities to produce, it’s important to deliver and maximize them, something Johnson didn’t have an easy time achieving throughout the 2022 campaign.

After getting a decent amount of playing time this season (starting in seven of 14 games played), Johnson didn’t provide much to be desired. The Giants are better off looking elsewhere, whether via the free-agent market or in the NFL Draft.

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