Klint Kubiak was hired by the New Orleans Saints as offensive coordinator this offseason, replacing longtime coordinator Pete Carmichael. Along with Kubiak came several other new assistants in a revamped staff on that side of the ball.
Other than on the offensive line, the Saints made few major additions to their offensive personnel. One area where this was a little surprising was at tight end, where only undrafted rookie Dallin Holker was added for the position.
The Saints have not put much emphasis on the tight end spot since trading Jimmy Graham after the 2014 season. Or perhaps New Orleans believed that they have a potential star at the position already for Kubiak's offense.
Juwan Johnson
An undrafted rookie in 2018, Juwan Johnson was a wide receiver in college at Penn State and Oregon. He also made the Saints squad as a wideout, where he caught 17 passes for 198 yards and four touchdowns in 21 games of action over his first two professional seasons.
During training camp leading up to the 2022 campaign, the 6'4" and 231-Lb. Johnson was asked to make the switch to tight end. The Saints were hoping to take advantage of his athleticism at a position that was the worst in the league the previous year. For Johnson, it was a chance to cement a bigger NFL role rather than clinging onto a spot at the bottom part of a roster.
The move paid off for both sides, perhaps even better than expected. In 2022, Johnson caught 42 of his 65 targets for 508 yards and seven touchdowns. That was second on the team in receiving yardage and led the squad in touchdown receptions. He was also third among all NFL tight ends in receiving touchdowns.
Johnson got off to a slow start in 2023, then missed four games just before the midway part of the year with an ankle injury. He'd come to life down the stretch, averaging 54 yards and scoring three times while catching 17 balls over the final four weeks. For the year, Johnson had 37 receptions in 59 targets for 368 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games.
The 27-year-old Johnson is still relatively inexperienced at the position. He's also undersized and must improve his in-line blocking skills. When lined up as a traditional in-line tight end, he'll need to do a better job getting off the line into his routes.
What Johnson does provide is a legitimate receiving threat at tight end, something the Saints have consistently struggled to maintain since trading Graham. He is able to run a full route tree at all three levels of a defense, helped by his extensive experience as a wideout. His athleticism is a mismatch for most linebackers, while his size creates problems for defensive backs.
While Johnson needs improvement as an in-line receiver, he's a legitimate threat from the slot, in motion, or even outside. He certainly fits the prototype of the modern NFL tight end far more than a throwback player. Johnson's challenge is to now show whether he can have that same kind of impact.
Travis Kelce (Chiefs), George Kittle (49ers), Sam LaPorta (Lions), T.J. Hockenson (Vikings), and Dalton Kincaid (Bills) are the league's top players at the position and have taken their respective offenses to an elevated level. The question now isn't whether Juwan Johnson can be as good as those top-tier tight ends, but it is whether he can be good enough to elevate the New Orleans Saints offense.
Klint Kubiak's system has often utilized tight ends effectively. We saw it with Kyle Rudolph in Minnesota and Kittle in San Francisco. The system itself has a long track record of productive tight ends, dating all the way back to Shannon Sharpe with the Denver Broncos and coached by Klint's father Gary Kubiak in the 1990s.
The Saints did not prioritize the tight end position at all this offseason. Perhaps this is because Klint Kubiak believes that Juwan Johnson is an ideal tight end for the system that he'll run in New Orleans.
