Former Oregon Ducks wide receiver Tez Johnson continues to turn heads in Tampa Bay practice.
Buccaneers’ wide receiver Mike Evans applauded Johnson and his rookie counterpart Emeka Egbuka on Friday.
“That's been very fortunate for me and my career to be around a lot of great young players,” Evans said. “They’ve added to the room tremendously.”
It’s high praise coming from a six-time Pro Bowl receiver. Not only does he lead the franchise in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, but Evans enters 2025 tied with former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice for the most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons with 11. Evans sits at the top of Tampa Bay’s depth chart alongside wide receiver Chris Godwin.
The veteran receiver said that it might be the “best” receiving room he’s been a part of. He added that Johnson and Egbuka came into the team “already polished.”
The Buccaneers selected the former Ohio State receiver Egbuka with the No. 19 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, with ESPN projecting the rookie to start. Johnson, meanwhile, was selected No. 235 in the seventh round.
The former Ducks receiver spent two years at Oregon after transferring from Troy. He recorded over 2,000 receiving yards on 169 receptions and 20 touchdowns during that span. In his final season of collegiate football, Johnson recorded 898 yards on 83 receptions and was on the receiving end of 10 touchdowns.
Johnson isn't the only former Duck rostered by the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay selected former Oregon running back Bucky Irving in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Johnson will look to have a similar rookie year trajectory as Irving, whose role steadily grew as the season progressed and made the PFWA NFL All-Rookie Team.
Evans described Johnson’s style of play in two words: speed and quickness.
His comments come just a day after Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles commended Johnson’s speed and ability to get down the field.
“He has a chance to be a vital part of our offense if he continues trending the way he’s trending,” Bowles said.
ESPN’s latest depth chart has Johnson as a third-stringer. The rookie receiver could see himself moving up in the depth chart if he continues to impress like he has.
Outside of Evans and Godwin, who’s also a Pro Bowler with 7,266 receiving yards for the franchise, Tampa Bay has a young core of receivers. Wide receivers Jalen McMillan and Trey Palmer join Johnson and Egbuka as other young players looking to break through.
It’s a situation for Johnson to learn from a couple of Super Bowl-winning receivers while also having a fair amount of healthy competition to earn playing time.
