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Collin Johnson

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/10/23

October 10th, 2023 at 7:30pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad transactions:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Released: WR Xavier Malone

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed: FB Jack Colletto

Anthony Firkser will provide the Lions with some veteran tight end depth. Darrell Daniels has mostly transitioned to a fullback role and James Mitchell is sidelined with a hamstring injury, leaving Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright as the two healthy TEs on the roster. Firkser has seen time in 69 regular season games, hauling in 115 catches for 1,207 yards and five touchdowns. The 28-year-old tight end got into 11 games for the Falcons in 2022, finishing with nine catches for 100 yards.

Yodny Cajuste is back in New York after getting cut by the Jets back in August. The former third-round pick got into 17 games (five starts) for the Patriots between the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He was waived by New England back in May before catching on with the Jets for the preseason.

Giants Waive RB James Robinson

August 27th, 2023 at 2:32pm CST by Adam La Rose

Like many teams around the league, the Giants have already made a number of cuts ahead of Tuesday’s deadline for 53-man rosters to be finalized. Per a team announcement, running back James Robinson is among the players who have been let go.

Robinson’s career started far differently than it has gone in recent years. The former UDFA recorded 1,414 scrimmage yards and 10 total touchdowns as a rookie in 2020. The Jaguars eventually saw former first-rounder Travis Etienne assume the role of lead back, however, which made Robinson a luxury in the backfield. The latter was dealt to the Jets midseason in 2022.

With Breece Hall having suffered an ACL tear, the door appeared to be open for Robinson to take on a somewhat notable role. Instead, he received only 29 carries, and his 2.9 yards per attempt average made it an easy decision for New York not to retain him. Robinson briefly found a home in free agency by signing a two-year deal with the Patriots, but his tenure there proved to be very short lived.

The 25-year-old was released after he was unable to remain healthy through the spring. That left him on the open market once again until the onset of training camp, where he landed a deal with the Giants. The absence of Saquon Barkley at the time, which was sparked by his contract situation, gave Robinson an opportunity to win at least the third RB spot. Barkley is back in the fold, though, along with Matt Breida, Gary Brightwell and Eric Gray.

In addition to Robinson, the Giants have waived defensive tackle Kevin Atkins, defensive back Darren Evans, defensive tackle Donovan Jeter and wideout Collin Johnson. Defensive linemen Tashawn Bower and Brandin Bryant, along with offensive tackles Korey Cunningham and Julien Davenport and receiver Jaydon Mickens were released. Lastly, wideout Bryce Ford-Wheaton was placed on injured reserve, meaning he will be sidelined for the 2023 season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/24/22

August 24th, 2022 at 7:53pm CST by Adam La Rose

Today’s minor moves around the league:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos 

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

The biggest storyline of the day for the Giants was the injury to Johnson, but they have been busy at other positions as well. Hand was a fifth-round pick of the Vikings in 2020, making 23 appearances during his time there. He primarily played on special teams, but registered an interception and three pass breakups as a rookie. Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News tweets that Minnesota was interested in re-signing him had he cleared waivers.

The release of Akins is somewhat surprising, given the Giants’ question marks at the tight end position. The former Texans third-rounder signed just before the draft, where New York added Daniel Bellinger in the fourth round. The latter had a brief stint on the PUP list at the start of training camp, but, if healthy, could be the favorite to take on Evan Engram‘s vacated starting spot.

Giants WR Collin Johnson Suffers Torn Achilles

August 24th, 2022 at 4:57pm CST by Adam La Rose

The injuries continue to pile up for the Giants. Per a team announcement, wide receiver Collin Johnson has suffered a torn Achilles. As a result, he will miss the entire 2022 campaign. 

[RELATED: Giants WR Shepard To Resume Practicing]

A 2020 fifth-round pick out of Texas, Johnson put up relatively modest numbers in college (with the exception of his junior season). Still, he carried significant intrigue due to his size; at six-foot-six and more than 220 pounds, he had the potential to operate as at least a contested-catch specialist in the NFL.

As a rookie with the Jaguars, Johnson made 18 catches for 272 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He finished the year on IR, however, and found himself on waivers the following September. With the Giants last season, he made just 11 scoreless catches in 12 games. Nevertheless, his performances in training camp and the preseason had him on track to retain a roster spot behind the likes of Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney, Sterling Shepard and rookie Wan’Dale Robinson.

Johnson will become the sixth Giant to land on IR already, but the team has quickly taken steps to replace him. New York is claiming wideouts Bailey Gaither and Jaylon Moore off waivers from the Ravens, per ESPN’s Field Yates (Twitter link). The pair have combined to make just seven regular season appearances, but could latch onto the end of the roster with Johnson’s injury.

Per Yates, the Giants also placed receiver Marcus Kemp on IR. The 27-year-old has made all but one of his regular season appearances with the Chiefs to date, playing almost exclusively on special teams. The Giants will head towards final roster cuts looking to avoid any further lengthy absences, while trying to fill out the backend of their WR depth chart.

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC East

September 1st, 2021 at 6:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Cowboys, Eagles, Giants and Washington moves are noted below.

Here are Wednesday’s NFC East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.

Dallas Cowboys

Signed to practice squad:

New York Giants

Placed on IR:

Signed:

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Philadelphia Eagles

Signed to practice squad:

Washington Football Team

Placed on IR:

Signed:

Signed to practice squad:

Jaguars Move Down To 53-Man Roster

August 31st, 2021 at 3:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jaguars are the latest team to squeeze their roster down to 53 players Tuesday. Here are the players the Urban Meyer-led regime cut to get there:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on reserve/NFI list:

Some big names at wideout appear on this list, and the Jags also released former first-round pick Phillip Dorsett earlier Tuesday. Cooper is a former All-Pro kick returner who has held regular return gigs since that 2017 breakout. The fifth-year role player was the Cardinals’ primary return man in 2019 and filled the same role with the Panthers last season. Like Dorsett, Treadwell arrived as a first-round pick. But the former Vikings draftee has not been able to find steady footing in the league.

Jacksonville drafted Williams in the 2019 third round — two rounds after younger brother Quinnen went to the Jets — but the young linebacker did not start a game in 2020. Luton did, but the Oregon State product did not profile as a steady backup option. The Jags are going with Meyer-era investments Trevor Lawrence and C.J. Beathard at QB. The Wilson move comes after the veteran safety operated as a Jags back-line starter for the past two seasons.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/2/21

January 2nd, 2021 at 5:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Saturday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed off Jets’ practice squad: G Blake Hance
  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: S Karl Joseph
  • Promoted: G Cordell Iwuagwu, LB Montrel Meander, T Alex Taylor

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Promoted: DB John Brannon

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Jaguars Sign Collin Johnson

June 18th, 2020 at 12:49pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars have officially signed fifth-round wide receiver Collin Johnson, per a club announcement. With Johnson under contract, they now have three of their 2020 draft picks in the fold. 

[RELATED: Assessing Yannick Ngakoue’s Trade Value]

Football is in Johnson’s blood – the University of Texas product is the son of former NFL defensive back Johnnie Johnson, who was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame for own stellar career at UT.

Johnson (the younger Johnson) amassed 2,624 receiving yards across four years with the Longhorns, good for the fifth-highest total in program history. If not for a hamstring injury that cost him time last year, he might have been in consideration for teams a couple rounds earlier. Instead, the Jaguars snagged him at No. 206 overall. Per the terms of his slot, Johnson will earn $3.45MM over the course of his four-year deal.

The Jaguars have one of the largest incoming classes in the league, so they still have lots to go. Here’s the full rundown of the Jaguars’ drafted frosh, via PFR’s 2020 NFL Draft Tracker:

1-9: C.J. Henderson, CB (Florida)
1-20: K’Lavon Chaisson, DE (LSU)
2-42: Laviska Shenault, WR (Colorado)
3-73: Davon Hamilton, DT (Ohio State)
4-116: Ben Bartch, OT (St. John’s (MN))
4-137: Josiah Scott, CB (Michigan State)
4-140: Shaquille Quarterman, ILB (Miami): Signed
5-157: Daniel Thomas, S (Auburn)
5-165: Collin Johnson, WR (Texas): Signed
6-189: Jake Luton, QB (Oregon State)
6-206: Tyler Davis, TE (Georgia Tech): Signed
7-223: Chris Claybrooks, CB (Memphis)