Colts: Titans swiping receiver from Indy this offseason seems worrisome
When the Tennessee Titans traded for Julio Jones, it was clearly a gut-punch for the Indianapolis Colts in some way, but the division rivals also lost key pass catchers in Corey Davis and Jonnu Smith this offseason.
Defending Jones will be no easy task, but there’s one fewer play-making body on the field for Tennessee heading into 2021.
That is, unless, former Colts wideout Marcus Johnson manages to make an impact alongside Ryan Tannehill and Co.
We bet you missed this offseason tidbit … because we sure did! Johnson is now a Titan and he’s making an early impression in his first practices with the team.
Ryan Tannehill connected with Marcus Johnson multiple times for TDs during red zone 7 on 7. Johnson was targeted three times and hit the end zone on all four of them. #Titans
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) June 10, 2021
Former Colts WR Marcus Johnson is looking like he’ll make the Titans’ roster.
The Colts didn’t really need Johnson thanks to the presence of TY Hilton, Michael Pittman Jr., Parris Campbell, Zach Pascal and JJ Nelson. Though he didn’t contribute a ton for Indy during his three-year stint (37 catches for 634 yards and three touchdowns in 24 games), he’s got impressive speed and is a good route runner.
That should help him become a valuable third or fourth option in the Titans’ offense behind Jones and AJ Brown, right?
WR Marcus Johnson in this week’s @Titans OTA. pic.twitter.com/3menpmMjb2
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) June 6, 2021
The 26-year-old may have been a bit hamstrung in the Colts’ offense as well, given the team’s inability to stretch the field vertically with Jacoby Brissett and Philip Rivers under center. Ryan Tannehill loves to bomb the ball down field and it’s not outlandish to assume Johnson could catch defenses off guard with all the focus on Derrick Henry, Jones and Brown.
Remember Johnson helped save the Colts in the comeback win over the Bengals this past season? He caught five balls for 108 yards, and three of those catches put Indy in Cincy territory (on one of them, he got stopped at the one-yard line).
Colts fans shouldn’t be panicking about this, but keep in mind that the 6-foot-1, 205-pound speedster could be a crucial weapon for Tennessee in 2021. At the very least, Indy already has intel on their former player. Hopefully that’ll help defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus when scheming against the new-look Titans.
