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Juwan Johnson caught only 5 passes in last 3 starts as Week 7 Steelers loss compounds Saints' woes
Juwan Johnson’s Saints production has slumped. Increased tight end rotation and greater reliance on wide receivers may explain the decline.
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Juwan Johnson's performance for the New Orleans Saints has become a concern as the veteran tight end continued to record dismal numbers as the Saints took on the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 7.
Against Aaron Rodgers and co. on Sunday, Juwan Johnson recorded only one catch for seven yards, that too in the second half of the game. But that's far from an exception as the Saints' season goes from bad to worse at 5-2 after the Week 7 loss.
In Week 6 against the New York Giants, Johnson could not record even a single catch. Against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5, he recorded four catches for 16 yards. The 30-year-old Johnson is playing his seventh season in the NFL this year, and unless he turns things around, it could end up being one of his worst.
Also read: DeVonta Smith to miss Week 7 clash vs Cowboys as Nick Sirianni discusses Eagles WR's recovery
Should Juwan Johnson Be Benched?
In six games Johnson started in the 2025-26 season, he has completed 25 receptions for 248 yards and three touchdowns. But the streak of poor performance by has left New Orleans Saints fans frustrated.
Fantasy managers who picked the tight end on their teams were left equally disappointed.
Notably, Johnson is coming on the back of his best NFL season. He recorded 77 receptions for 889 yards and three touchdowns, the most he achieved in a season.
However, Johnson had shown encouraging signs as the season started. In just the first four games, he recorded 21 receptions for 232 yards, which ranked him among the top five tight ends going into Week 5.
Also read: Lamar Jackson injury update: Ravens QB to miss third straight game against Bengals in Week 7
But since the Atlanta Falcons game in Week 5, his productivity has dropped massively.
Though the drop in productivity is a concern, especially amidst the New Orleans Saints' 2-5 record, an analysis on Heavy.com makes a likely strategy change by the Saints responsible for the
It says that the reason behind Juwan Johnson's drop in performance is twofold: first, they are playing three tight ends on rotation, which means Johnson is sharing catching duties with Noah Fant and Oscar Delp, even though they are rookies. Secondly, the Saints scoring pattern recently reveals that they have found more joy in throwing to their wide receivers Chris Olave, Devaughn Vele and Bryce Lance.
