Giants' Marcus Johnson: Relegated to minor role on offense
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Johnson finished the regular season with nine catches on 22 targets for 99 yards and no touchdowns. He caught his only target for 17 yards in two postseason contests.
Johnson began the campaign on New York's practice squad and got a permanent roster spot in mid-October. He ended up being active in a career-high 14 games but spent most of his time on the sidelines, particularly from Weeks 10-17, when he totaled just 46 offensive snaps and didn't record any catches or targets. Johnson heads into the offseason as a free agent, and considering his limited role with the Giants this season, his time in New York may be over after just one campaign.
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Giants' Marcus Johnson: Cleared for Sunday
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Johnson doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's wild-card matchup against the Vikings, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.
Johnson was limited Thursday due to a knee injury, but he returned to full participation Friday and is good to go for the wild-card matchup. However, the reserve wideout has caught just nine of 22 targets for 99 yards across 14 appearances this season, so his presence shouldn't have a major impact on the Giants' offense.
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Giants' Marcus Johnson: Sees first targets since Week 8
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Johnson tallied three catches on six targets for 36 yards in Sunday's Week 18 loss to Philadelphia.
Most of the Giants' key offensive players spent the game on the sideline, giving Johnson and a host of others normally relegated to depth roles a chance to log substantial snap counts. Johnson finished second on the team in both catches and receiving yards while finishing fourth in targets. He came into Week 18 with no targets since Week 8 against Seattle, as he has been working primarily on special teams. With that in mind, it's likely that Johnson will return to a minimal role when New York takes on Minnesota next weekend in the wild-card round.
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Giants' Marcus Johnson: Not involved in passing game
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Johnson played six snaps on offense but went without a target in Sunday's 48-22 loss to the Eagles.
Johnson has dressed for each of the Giants' last 10 games, but he hasn't played more than 10 snaps on offense in any of the team's five contests since the bye week and hasn't drawn a target during that stretch either. The 28-year-old wideout is expected to continue to see most of his playing time on special teams rather than on offense down the stretch.
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Giants' Marcus Johnson: Held without a catch Week 7
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Johnson did not secure any of his three targets in Sunday's Week 7 win over Jacksonville.
Johnson has ascended to a permanent roster spot after beginning the season on the practice squad and came into Sunday with five catches for 60 yards over his previous two games. However, he was unable to connect with Daniel Jones in the Week 7 victory. Johnson drew some wrath from his quarterback when he dropped a pass at the goal line on a 4th-and-2 play in the third quarter, and the receiver didn't see another target in the contest after that point. New York's wideout hierarchy remains largely unsettled, but with Darius Slayton and Wan'Dale Robinson beginning to emerge as Jones' top targets, Johnson could see his opportunities dwindle, especially if he isn't able to garner his quarterback's trust.
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Giants' Marcus Johnson: Gets permanent roster spot
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The Giants signed Johnson off their practice squad Tuesday, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.
Johnson had been elevated from the practice squad in each of the Giants' last three games and served as a starting wideout for the latter two contests, accruing a 5-60-0 line on seven targets while logging 83 snaps in total. His playing time may trend down a bit once the likes of Kadarius Toney (hamstring) and Kenny Golladay (knee) are healthy, though neither injured wideout practiced in any fashion last week.
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Giants' Marcus Johnson: Reverts to practice squad
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Johnson reverted to the Giants' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.
Johnson was promoted to the Giants' active roster for the third game in a row, as wideouts Kenny Golladay (knee) and Kadarius Toney (hamstring) sat out once again in Sunday's win over Baltimore. The practice-squad receiver caught two of his four targets for 25 yards, and he played 40 of the team's 65 offensive snaps, which ranked second behind Darius Slayton (45) and ahead of David Sills (23), Richie James (22) and Wan'Dale Robinson (15). Johnson has now caught five of his seven targets for 60 yards over the past two weeks, and these performances may have earned him a spot on New York's active roster moving forward.
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Giants' Marcus Johnson: Records 18 receiving yards in win
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Johnson hauled in two of four targets for 18 yards in a Week 6 win over the Ravens on Sunday.
None of New York's pass catchers had a particularly prolific day, and Johnson ended up third on the team with 25 receiving yards in the victory. Only tight end Daniel Bellinger had more targets (five) than Johnson, so there's at least some sense that the latter is gaining traction in the offense. Still, the Giants' passing game has yielded very little in terms of fantasy production this season, so there's no need to seek out Johnson on the waiver wire.
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Marcus Johnson: Back to practice squad
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Johnson reverted to the Giants' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's official transaction log.
Johnson led the Giants' receiver corps in snaps played due to the bevy of injuries the unit is going through. He saw three targets, catching them for a total of 35 yards. He'll likely receive another elevation to the active roster in Week 6 against the Ravens.
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Giants' Marcus Johnson: Activated from practice squad
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The Giants elevated Johnson on Saturday from their practice squad to their active roster for Sunday's contest against the Packers, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.
With multiple wideouts still sidelined, Johnson will get another shot on the active roster after being elevated for Week 4. However, the veteran wideout played only one offensive snap against Chicago, so it's unlikely he garners a major offensive role versus Green Bay.
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Marcus Johnson: Back on practice squad
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Johnson reverted to the Giants' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.
Johnson was activated on game day for the first time this season with Giants wideouts Wan'Dale Robinson (knee), Kadarius Toney (hamstring) and Sterling Shepard (knee) all out in Week 4. The 28-year-old receiver still did not manage to record any stats on just one offensive snap played. Johnson recorded nine receptions for 160 yards over 190 offensive snaps with Tennessee last year, and he'll be eligible for two more elevations from the Giants' practice squad in 2022.
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Giants' Marcus Johnson: Bumps up to Big Apple
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Johnson was elevated to the Giants' active roster Saturday, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.
With the Giants decimated at receiver, Johnson will get the elevation to act as pass-catching depth. The veteran undrafted free agent last played for the Titans in 2021, compiling nine receptions for 160 yards on 190 offensive snaps.
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Marcus Johnson: Joins Giants' practice squad
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The Giants signed Johnson to their practice squad Monday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
Johnson was released by the 49ers ahead of the 53-man roster deadline and will settle for a practice-squad deal ahead of Week 1. The 6-foot-1 wideout entered the NFL in 2016 as an undrafted free agent and has carved out a depth role on three different teams -- Eagles (2017), Colts (2018-2020) and Titans (2021).
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Marcus Johnson: Released by San Fran
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The 49ers released Johnson on Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Johnson has carved out a depth role on three different teams since entering the NFL in 2016 as an undrafted free agent, but he won't make the 49ers' initial 53-man roster in 2022. Per Pelissero, he should garner interest from around the league, but he may have to start the campaign on a practice squad.
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49ers' Marcus Johnson: Joins Niners
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Johnson is signing with the 49ers, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports,
Johnson has carved out a depth role on three different teams since entering the NFL in 2016 as an undrafted rookie. He's now 27, and while he's started 12 of his 41 career games, Johnson has only 839 receiving yards and three touchdowns to show for it. He spent most of last year in Tennessee, where injuries eventually pushed him up the depth chart and helped lead to the third 100-yard game of his career. Unfortunately, Johnson injured his hamstring in November and spent the rest of the season on IR. He's likely healthy by now and should compete for the Niners' fourth or fifth receiver spot this summer.
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Titans' Marcus Johnson: Hamstring issue derails season
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Johnson (hamstring) finished the season with nine receptions for 160 yards and no touchdowns across seven games with Tennessee.
Johnson was very limited due to two separate stints on injured reserve during his first season in Tennessee. In between, he showed the ability to produce when given an opportunity in the absence of A.J. Brown or Julio Jones as he turned in 100 and 52-yard performances in two separate games to account for nearly his entire production in 2021. Johnson is slated to hit free agency at the conclusion of Tennessee's playoff run, and he'll look for an opportunity to provide depth at wide receiver for another team in the league.
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Titans' Marcus Johnson: Shut down for season
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Tennessee placed Johnson (hamstring) on injured reserve Tuesday, ending his season, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.
Because Johnson previously opened the season on IR, he's not eligible to play again in 2021 now that he's being moved off the 53-man active roster for a second time after he injured his hamstring early in Sunday's 22-13 loss to the Texans. The setback is an untimely one for Johnson, who broke out with five receptions for 100 yards in a Week 10 win over New Orleans and looked poised to emerge as the No. 2 wideout behind A.J. Brown following Julio Jones' placement on IR with a hamstring concern of his own. With Jones out for at least two more games and Brown's status for a Week 12 matchup with the Patriots in jeopardy due to a chest injury, the Tennessee receiver room is incredibly unsettled at the moment.
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Titans' Marcus Johnson: Suffers hamstring injury
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Johnson was forced out of Sunday's game against the Texans with a hamstring injury, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.
With Johnson already ruled out for the rest of the contest, he'll finish the day with without a catch after logging just one target. In his absence, A.J. Brown, Chester Rogers and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine will head the Titans' wideout corps versus Houston.
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Titans' Marcus Johnson: Reaches 100 yards
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Johnson recorded five receptions on six targets for 100 yards in Sunday's 23-21 win over the Saints.
Johnson entered the game with only four receptions across five games this season, though he stepped up in the absence of Julio Jones (hamstring). He delivered several big plays, highlighted by a 50-yard gain late in the first quarter when he quickly turned a short slant upfield. He added additional receptions of 17 and 16 yards to provide a big-play element to the Titans' offense. The team has been lacking a consistent second receiver behind A.J. Brown all season, and Johnson will have the chance to prove himself capable of the role in a Week 11 matchup against the Texans.
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Titans' Marcus Johnson: Struggles with increased role
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Johnson recorded one catch on five targets for eight yards in Sunday's 34-31 win over the Colts.
Johnson saw an increased role with Julio Jones (hamstring) sidelined, and he finished tied for second on the team with five targets. However, that didn't translate to much production as his only reception came midway through the first quarter. Johnson also recorded five targets in Week 5 -- another game that Jones missed -- so he could be an under-the-radar candidate for targets in a Week 9 matchup against the Rams should Jones remain sidelined.
