Throughout his rookie campaign in the Bay, Tez Johnson showcased his electricity on the field with the ball in his hands. He posted 495 snaps and averaged 11.5 yards per reception (322 total receiving yards) while scoring five touchdowns. Johnson, a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Oregon, thrived in space with instinctiveness on routes to uncover. He is hard to bring down in the open field with early acceleration and slipperiness after the catch. Johnson disguises tempo of routes and breaks to generate separation and he displayed his capability on verticals, screens, jet sweeps and handoffs behind the line of scrimmage. In 2026, new Offensive Coordinator Zac Robinson will work to maximize Johnson's speed on the gridiron.
"We'll never tell the quarterback to just launch a deep ball if nothing is there, but you've got to be able to stretch the field vertically, absolutely," noted Robinson in his introductory press conference. "As soon as you don't have that element, the field feels small. I know there are some guys here, obviously, that can get down the field. Obviously, we know what 'J-Mac' (Jalen McMillan) can do it, obviously Chris Godwin and [Emeka] Egbuka, but watching Tez Johnson, he's got elite speed down the field and he can track it. All of those things are exciting, but it's exactly what you're saying – you've got to be able to stretch the field vertically, horizontally and all of those things and we've got the quarterback to do it."
The Bucs were able to get the shifty specimen in the seventh round due to his smaller frame, and the chain-mover emerged quickly. He attacks defenses horizontally against zone with ease and adds value as a kick/punt returner. Whether tunnel screens, or jet and orbit motions, Johnson creates. Johnson can attack angles/leverage by selling deep routes and winning underneath on slants and shallow crossers. He adds another dimension to the Bucs' receiver room and is a weapon that defenses will have to account for in 2026.
