Matt Citak

Fox Sports picks Theo Johnson as 2025 breakout candidate

When it comes to the Giants' offense, it's no secret that Malik Nabers is the No. 1 option in the passing game.

But who might step up this season as the next top option?

According toFox Sports' David Helman, it could be tight end Theo Johnson.

Helman recently chose a breakout candidate from each team across the league, and when it came to the Giants, he went with the second-year tight end.

"Fun as he might be, you can't build the entire plane out of Malik Nabers," wrote Helman. "He's a bona fide star and he's going to catch 100 balls this year, but Russell Wilson will need to find at least one or two other reliable targets. Johnson just might fit the bill after a promising rookie season. This is a dude with far better speed and athleticism than his 264-pound frame might suggest, and he's shown the ability to stretch the field down the seam. Pat Freiermuth led the Steelers in receptions last season, so I don't think Wilson will struggle to get him the ball if he lives up to his rookie potential."

Johnson finished his rookie season with 29 receptions for 331 yards and a touchdown across just 12 games. The yards ranked third among rookie tight ends, while his 29 receptions ranked fourth.

The young tight end was starting to pick things up before suffering his season-ending foot injury on Thanksgiving. Johnson registered 35+ receiving yards in each of his last five games, including a season-high five receptions for 54 yards in his final outing.

The 6-foot-6 tight end had compiled 50+ receiving yards in two of his final four contests.

As the article states, Pittsburgh's Pat Freiermuth put together the best season of his NFL career last year with Wilson under center for most of it. The Steelers tight end finished with a team-high 65 receptions, which was also a new personal high mark for Freiermuth, for 653 yards and seven touchdowns. Of those stats, 43 receptions for 459 yards and five touchdowns came from Wilson in his 11 starts.

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