Collin Johnson had been building momentum toward having a significant role within the Giants offense, but that momentum was unfortunately halted Wednesday, as the team announced that the wide receiver suffered a torn Achilles during their mid-week practice session.
According to reporters on the scene at the Giants facility, Johnson went down with an apparent right leg injury and needed to be carted off. At the time of the injury, Johnson was working with the first-team offense.
With Johnson going down, the Giants claimed former Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Jaylon Moore off of waivers, per NFL Media. The UT Martin product spent the past two years with the Ravens organization, but hasn't seen action in a regular-season game. In Baltimore's first preseason game this year, Moore caught two passes for 15 yards.
This is a brutal blow for the young pass catcher who had been making waves this preseason. In the opener against New England, Johnson hauled in seven passes for a team-high 82 yards. He followed that up with a three-catch performance against the Bengals on Sunday. So far this preseason, Johnson has caught roughly 77% of his targets and averaged 12.3 yards per catch.
That production was even rewarded with some strong praise by head coach Brian Daboll.
"The guys that have been out there and producing, Collin Johnson, David Sills, they've stepped their game up," Daboll told reporters Monday. "And they're right in the mix, not just to make a team but to play. So again, like I said, everybody's got to earn their job, earn their role, do a good job of the things they need to do, and make the most of their opportunities when they get them."
Originally, Johnson was a fifth-round draft choice of the Jaguars in 2020 out of Texas. He was waived by Jacksonville last summer and claimed by New York where he appeared in 12 games (one start) during the 2021 campaign. In 26 career games, Johnson has 29 receptions for 377 yards and two touchdowns.