How about Bryant Johnson?

[SmootSmack]

I'm torn on him. He's a really good #3 receiver, but does he have the consistency to be a #1/#2?

I'm not saying he's a bust, because he's not. But there's a perception that he was some unheralded late pick who worked his way into the rotation with Boldin and Fitzgerald. But that's not the case. He was a top 20 pick who's firmly entrenched as the 3rd receiver behind Fitz and Boldin. I guess my question would be why isn't he really seen as more than a #3 WR?

I wouldn't hate having him here, just torn on whether he should be a priority.

[jamf]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

I guess my question would be why isn't he really seen as more than a #3 WR?

I wouldn't hate having him here, just torn on whether he should be a priority.

Because he has Bolden and Fitzgerald in front of him. It's not like he couldn't beat out James Thrash and Reche Caldwell. He is 3rd behind two perennial all pro WR's.

As long as he doesn't expect bolden or fitzgerald money, There is no reason not to get him.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by jamf

Because he has Bolden and Fitzgerald in front of him. It's not like he couldn't beat out James Thrash and Reche Caldwell. He is 3rd behind two perennial all pro WR's.

As long as he doesn't expect bolden or fitzgerald money, There is no reason not to get him.

But that's sort of my point. I mean I know Fitz was like a top 3 pick, but Boldin was a late 2nd (early 3rd?) round pick. And I'm not putting Boldin down by any means. I think he's awesome. All I'm saying is Johnson was pretty highly regarded coming out of college and drafted accordingly so is the reason he's #3 because he's behind Fitz and Boldin, or is it because he's underachieved and doesn't have the consistency to be any better?

[Redskins8588]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

But that's sort of my point. I mean I know Fitz was like a top 3 pick, but Boldin was a late 2nd (early 3rd?) round pick. And I'm not putting Boldin down by any means. I think he's awesome. All I'm saying is Johnson was pretty highly regarded coming out of college and drafted accordingly so is the reason he's #3 because he's behind Fitz and Boldin, or is it because he's underachieved and doesn't have the consistency to be any better?

I see what you are trying to say, every story has 2 sides which side is Johnsons? Here are his stats for games that he had to start for either Boldin or Fitzgerald.

FILLING IN FOR BOLDIN:
WK4 vs. PITT 4rec. 40yds. 0TD's
WK5 @ STL 6rec. 80yds. 0TD's
WK6 vs. CAR 4rec. 29yds. 0TD's
WK14 @ SEA 1rec. 5yds. 1TD

FILLING IN FOR FITZGERALD:
WK13 vs. CLE 6rec. 56yds. 1TD

And you can look up on NFL.COM for the rest of last season stats for Johnson , but the question remains...

Is he a good WR stuck behind 2 pro-bowlers, or is he nothing more than an average 3rd WR?

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by Redskins8588

I see what you are trying to say, every story has 2 sides which side is Johnsons? Here are his stats for games that he had to start for either Boldin or Fitzgerald.

FILLING IN FOR BOLDIN:
WK4 vs. PITT 4rec. 40yds. 0TD's
WK5 @ STL 6rec. 80yds. 0TD's
WK6 vs. CAR 4rec. 29yds. 0TD's
WK14 @ SEA 1rec. 5yds. 1TD

FILLING IN FOR FITZGERALD:
WK13 vs. CLE 6rec. 56yds. 1TD

And you can look up on NFL.COM for the rest of last season stats for Johnson , but the question remains...

Is he a good WR stuck behind 2 pro-bowlers, or is he nothing more than an average 3rd WR?

Math is your friend:

Those 5 games extrapolated to a 16-game season, making the assumption he'd start for 16 games, that would translate into:

67 Catches, 672 Yards, 6.4 TDs (as the #2 WR on the team, after all, either Boldin or Fitz were on the field the whole time opposite Johnson).

That's a nice possession receiver and a big RZ target, given that Moss would still be your #1 and Randle-El would look real nice in the slot. And you'd end up paying Johnson like the #3 WR on our team (he'd make less than Moss & ARE).

Seems like the perfect thing for our WCO.

Anyone who thinks we're going to magically acquire a WR not named Chad Johnson or Randy Moss, and who will put up over 1000 yards for us is delusional. Bryant Johnson would fit in real well, especially for the money.

I think DJ Hackett is capable of very similar production and is probably a better fit given familiarity with Zorn. But Johnson is exactly the kind of guy we need.

[djnemo65]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

But that's sort of my point. I mean I know Fitz was like a top 3 pick, but Boldin was a late 2nd (early 3rd?) round pick. And I'm not putting Boldin down by any means. I think he's awesome. All I'm saying is Johnson was pretty highly regarded coming out of college and drafted accordingly so is the reason he's #3 because he's behind Fitz and Boldin, or is it because he's underachieved and doesn't have the consistency to be any better?

I think it's less an indictment of his skills as much as it is a testament to how deep Arizona's WR core really is. It's fair to say that BJ hasn't achieved a level of success consistent with being a top 20 pick, but that doesn't matter at this point because he isn't going to command a contract commensurate with his draft position anyway. The fact is Arizona has perhaps the best starting tandem in the league and Johnson isn't good enough to start there. Boldin was a second round pick but he was also rookie of the year so there's no shame in being behind him on the depth chart. Still, Johnson is a big solid hard-worker with the potential to excel as a compliment to our smaller shiftier guys.