WR Battle Profiles: Marcus Johnson

One lesser known name on the Colts roster is 24 year-old WR Marcus Johnson. The Seattle Seahawks traded him to the Colts last offseason for blocking tight end Darrell Daniels. Daniels plays for the Cardinals now and Johnson plays for the Colts currently. Some might say Indianapolis just won a seemingly minor trade, but Johnson’s upside could prove to be a difference maker. The type of difference maker that raises the offense to another level. The Colts personnel department sees that type of player value as anything but minor.

I say that because the Texas Longhorn product flashed high-level potential with Andrew Luck last season. The Week 6 Jets game at MetLife Stadium was undoubtedly his marquee performance. It also includes his only career touchdown which was a 29-yard bomb from Andrew Luck: https://coltswire.usatoday.com/2018/10/14/indianapolis-colts-andrew-luck-finds-marcus-johnson-long-touchdown-new-york-jets/.

Johnson will be 25 in August and has only played 15 games in the NFL. Some inexperience with drops bled through in key games. They blended in with virtually every other receiver’s dropped passes. Take Week 4 in OT against the division rival Houston Texans. His 3rd down drop killed a marching offense on their first drive forcing them to settle for a field goal. Drops can change game outcomes just like turnovers. Sometimes drops lead to even worse outcomes: turnovers i.e. interceptions from deflections.

Marcus played 10 games for the eventual Super Bowl Champion 2017 Eagles. Then he played five games with the Colts last year before an ankle injury in his marquee game prematurely ended his season. His roster fate will largely come down to his health status and predicted durability for this season. Staying healthy has seemingly been one of hurdles Johnson has faced. He played 21 games his first two seasons, but only 6 in his final season at Texas. Time will tell if injuries continue to be the status quo or a breakout season is in store for the young player.

Lucky for him, the coaching staff seems focused on developing players based on the analytics. I agree with this wholeheartedly yet cautiously. This is because for one Johnson is a low-risk, high-reward player. Luckily all they have invested is Daniels. If they have to cut him, they haven’t invested any draft capital compared to a player they drafted. Competition in the NFL is slim in the NFL and his $570,000 salary gives the Colts flexibility. To me, it would be surprising to see the team buying into 16 games from Marcus Johnson. He hasn’t had many chances to show he can hold up for a whole season, but when he has untimely injuries have struck.

Reich spoke highly of Johnson upon his arrival based off his time around him in Philly. The then-rookie head coach described his 6’1 190lb. frame as a perfect fit for the system. I think in some aspects he was right. This was on display for a short period of time before landing on IR with an ankle injury. He also had a few critical drops that show room for improvement in his hands. Ultimately his ability to catch the ball and his health are the biggest variables just for him alone. With that being said, it’s difficult to tell if he’ll be on the roster Week 1.

I personally hope he does make the team because it’s a win-win. Johnson retains his roster spot & salary and the Colts give another chance to a player that’s shown to be explosive when healthy. If he makes the team, that means they’re willing to make the gamble that he’s durable enough to last a whole season. In my mind, that’s good news for his health and it’s hard to against that. Once training camp arrives, roster spots will start to move themselves into place, and I’ll be sure to keep an in-depth view of how it pans out. Until then, I’ll keep looking at different areas of the team that I think are the most interesting.