No one could have seen this coming.
Wide receiver Charles Johnson was a seventh-round draft pick of the Green Bay Packers in 2013. He didn't see a single regular season snap before being released and picked up by the Cleveland Browns that year where he was similarly relegated to the bench once more. But no worries, sometimes you just have to pay your dues and you'll eventually get a shot, right? Wrong. The Browns cut him in 2014 which led to the Minnesota Vikings putting in a harmless waiver claim to bolster their WR depth. You know, just in case.
But Johnson would not be denied his time in the spotlight.
Through sheer force of will and a few lucky breaks, Johnson got himself onto the playing field and ended up as the team's leading receiver over the final seven games of the season. In that time, Johnson recorded 25 receptions for 415 yards and two touchdowns.
"Nobody knows you until you're given that opportunity," he said. "But once I started making plays, some corners started giving me some love. Cortland Finnegan and Brett Grimes (in a game last December at Miami) said they saw me on film and said, 'You're doing great.'"
Indeed he is, and it wouldn't be a surprise if second-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is just as ecstatic about Johnson's success as he is. In what was a somewhat tumultuous year for rookie QBs - Blake Bortles and Johnny Manziel didn't exactly inspire comparisons to Tom Brady and Peyton Manning - Bridgewater was a beacon of hope for the next generation of signal callers. The young QB completed more than 70 percent of his passes through the final five games of the year and was one of the leaders in passer rating during that span as well. Johnson was a big part of that flurried finish.
Even though Minnesota traded for speedster Mike Wallace in the offseason, Johnson still figures to be a big part of the team's offensive game plan. Wallace knew Johnson would be a top target in this offense long before he ever joined Minnesota's roster, noting a four catch, 103-yard game that included a 56-yard touchdown performance against the Jets late last December.
"I had never seen him before and he was running by people and making plays," Wallace said. "So I was like, 'This dude is pretty dope.'"
Vikings fans have seen what Johnson can do in a limited sample size. Now it's time to see if he can keep that up over the course of an entire season.
