Tez Johnson: I Got My Weight Up To 160
August 21st, 2025
Joe’s glad to hear that Bucs receiver Tez Johnson is putting on man weight, even if the rookie is more like a junior varsity high school player when he gets on a scale.
The returner/receiver made national headlines when he weighed 154 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. No player had been drafted at that low of a Combine weight. Johnson became the first when the Bucs selected him in Round 7 this year.
Joe asked Johnson today if he’s put on weight. Johnson was all smiles.
“They got me up to 160; I got up to 160 one time,” Johnson said. “You know, I can gain a little weight. So we can add a little more pounds compared to [400-plus pound rookie defensive tackle] Desmond Watson now; I ain’t that small no more. I’m a little beefy. I’m getting there.”
Joe doesn’t care what Johnson weighs, but 160 sure is light for the NFL. It’ll be interesting to see if he can withstand the punishment of the punt returner job through a full season and postseason. Hopefully, the Bucs are forcing a load of punts.
August 21st, 2025 at 3:03 pm
160? Wow. Yikes. Hope he makes it through the season
August 21st, 2025 at 3:17 pm
Adios, little guy with the big mouth.
August 21st, 2025 at 3:26 pm
Small bones…. He’ll be fine. More weight won’t protect him but it might effect his quickness.
If he gets his mind “right” he’s going to surprise some people.
There are numerous other light weight recievers in the league doing quite well. His weight is a non-issue.
August 21st, 2025 at 3:27 pm
Had one good punt return, a bunch of fair catches and one horrid mistake. Not fast at 4.5 but he is shifty like Bucky. Trey Palmer could be good but appears afraid to use his speed and consistently runs immediately for the sideline.
Garrett Green could be really good but don’t think he makes the roster. Too bad because he could be a player like Taysom Hill was for the Saints.
August 21st, 2025 at 3:42 pm
Hmm sounds like one of those dudes that have a really hard time putting on weight. A bit concerning as he’s still too small imo. Some of us wish we had that problem but obviously aren’t as active either
August 21st, 2025 at 3:45 pm
I’ve taken sh*ts bigger than that
August 21st, 2025 at 3:48 pm
TBBF could be wrong….but I have a hunch that Tez will be a steal 7th round pick for the Bucs…..I think he makes it and produces.
August 21st, 2025 at 3:52 pm
First, he is about the size of Kavontae Turpin of the Cowboys and he as held up well. While he is really small, he does seem to have a knack for not getting laid out on hits and so does Tez.
Tez is also a bit taller and heavier than Turpin
August 21st, 2025 at 3:57 pm
Height and weight has always been exaggerated in the NFL, Wonder what the real number is.
August 21st, 2025 at 3:57 pm
He can’t put on weight and Watson can’t lose it. This is a thing. I had a bad problem putting on weight in my 20s. I was 6’1″ at 130. It got it going but putting it on is way harder than taking it off.
August 21st, 2025 at 4:04 pm
At 160, Tez is going to get killed and the ball is going to be stripped. I don’t see what Bowles sees in a guy that runs a 4.50. 40. Greene is better. Should be interesting to see who makes the roster.
August 21st, 2025 at 4:08 pm
I believe/hope that Greene at least makes it to the PS.
August 21st, 2025 at 4:13 pm
Based on last year’s defense he does not have to worry about hardly ever fielding a punt.
August 21st, 2025 at 4:30 pm
@Bakerfan. Ouch ! lol.🤣
August 21st, 2025 at 4:50 pm
It’s like I told my son when he played pop warner: if you’re not fast, you better be big. If you’re not big, you better be fast.
How tall is TJ? Maybe 5-6?
August 21st, 2025 at 5:05 pm
Hmm. I’d like to see him on a scale. Looks smaller to me than he did at the combine at 154lbs. I’m going to be covering my eyes when he takes a hit. Watched the Michigan v. Oregon game last year and he was barely tackled but then carted off to the hospital and missed a few games. I hate to think what would have happened if it was Tez that took the hit McMillan took. A lot worse than a sprain I think.
August 21st, 2025 at 5:10 pm
If his I.Q. was 160 maybe just maybe he might have learned the offense by now.
August 21st, 2025 at 5:14 pm
Tez is so light he probably wouldn’t have been injured at all. Like a bag of feathers falling on his neck.
He made one very nice cut on the punt return. More of that and less muffs, please!
August 21st, 2025 at 5:23 pm
Garrett Greene is just as fast as Tez in the 40 and faster than Tez in the shuttle drill. Greene also is capable of playing WR on any down with the added capability of throwing a very accurate pass downfield after being handed the ball on a reverse. Greene is the smarter choice between the two.
August 21st, 2025 at 5:44 pm
The human intestine can hold up to 2lbs of poop at a time, sometimes more. Tez takes a crap he’s down to 158. Dude needs to live at a Brazilian buffet. Beef tallow IV, noodle & protein diet, or a subscription to Tom Jenkins BBQ on Federal hwy down in Ft. Lauderdale. Protein smoothies, anything to start filling out his frame in order to ensure his NFL career can be long and prosperous.
Don’t like the idea of him cause he cannot play ball, it’s really because his build is too slight to not be a liability in the NFL. Just my opinion. Don’t hate the player, just not enthusiastic with what he’s got to work with physically.
August 21st, 2025 at 5:47 pm
TEZ & BUCKY WANT YOU TO KNOW …
Their alma mater is ranked #7 in AP Polls. Oregon was the only college to go undefeated during the 2024 season, holding the #1 ranking for 16 weeks.
Tez and Bucky are expecting UofO to repeat their 2024 success with stud QB Dante Moore. Their big test will come Week 5 against #2 Penn State.
As TEZ & BUCKY like to say,
“Go Bucs! Go Ducks!”
August 21st, 2025 at 6:29 pm
Maybe because he’s so small they won’t be able to get a clean hit on him like WD28 back in the day, but damn 160 is tiny.
August 21st, 2025 at 6:46 pm
It’s not Tez’s speed it’s his lateral agility that they love, makes people miss just like Bucky.
August 21st, 2025 at 6:52 pm
He can make the first guy miss. It’s the second guy I’m worried about.
August 21st, 2025 at 8:21 pm
There’s not that many punts that get returned anymore, I’m not really worried about him there. The worry is more about at receiver where he’s so light he’s going to get knocked around in coverage – so they need to be smart about how they use him, probably similar to the way the Bucs used Thompkins as a gadget guy who also runs a few routes a game.
August 21st, 2025 at 9:07 pm
I couldn’t care less what his weight is. Can he get open? Can he catch the ball? Can he make people miss and get YAC?
So far, it seems like the answer to the only questions that matter to me are “yes”
Could he get snapped like a pretzel? Sure, but as we all have seen, so can guys much bigger than him. If the dude can ball, play him until he can’t play anymore!
August 21st, 2025 at 9:09 pm
Frankly, the knock against Tez reminds of the same cr@p I heard about Bucky last preseason.
August 21st, 2025 at 9:12 pm
TampaTed. The worst injuries in football usually occur when NOBODY hits the guy. How hard someone gets hit doesn’t necessarily translate to the severity of an injury.
August 21st, 2025 at 9:16 pm
buc4evr Says:
At 160, Tez is going to get killed and the ball is going to be stripped. I don’t see what Bowles sees in a guy that runs a 4.50. 40. Greene is better. Should be interesting to see who makes the roster.
—————————————————————————
Back when RB Warrick Dunn played for the Bucs I heard the same thing; he was going to get killed.
In his 12-season NFL career with the Buccaneers and Falcons, he recorded 10,967 rushing yards, 4,339 receiving yards, and 64 total touchdowns. He achieved 3 Pro Bowl selections, earned the 1997 Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
August 21st, 2025 at 11:13 pm
Scotty Mack Says:
August 21st, 2025 at 9:07 pm
I couldn’t care less what his weight is. Can he get open?
————–
I like Tez, but weight is an issue, since corners are going to knock him around in coverage – meaning he’ll easily get bumped off routes. Quarterbacks hate that since so much in the NFL is timing based. That’s why the Bucs would have to be smart about the way they use him, like with Thompkins, who was used behind the LOS a bunch to give him a chance to get the ball in his hands then try to make guys miss. But like with Thompkins, he should get some routes as well, in particular if we’re playing trash zone defenses like Bowles loves to run where receivers can run untouched without a defender around for yard after yard.
August 21st, 2025 at 11:18 pm
BucsFanSince1996 Says:
Back when RB Warrick Dunn played for the Bucs I heard the same thing; he was going to get killed.
———
I remember when Dunn got drafted he talked about how he stays healthy – and that was due to his amazing vision, which let him avoid big hits, and like he said at the time, he’d curl himself into a ball right before contact. Whatever he did, it worked.
For Tez, the size issue, as stated above, is more about getting knocked off routes by corners, which throws off timing. Injury I’m not too worried about, unless Teddy is out there throwing him hospital balls.
August 22nd, 2025 at 3:31 am
Warrick Dunn was short, but he was 25-30lbs heavier than Tez is right now. De
DeAnthony Thomas was 5’9 170lbs and also looked super fast at Oregon but ran a 4.39 40 and lasted 6 years in the league. Was nowhere near as productive as a pro as he was in college and alot of that had to do with not exploiting the talent gap between UofO and its opponents.
Thompkins and Darden are both free agents right now.
August 22nd, 2025 at 4:28 am
If he is being quoted accurately he isn’t exactly a mental giant either. Use the new toy till it breaks. Then throw it away. Get another one.
August 22nd, 2025 at 6:59 am
Not sure they would let him play at all at my old high school Joe. They have weight rules but I don’t remember what they were. He has defied the odds thus far so kudos to Tez! However as someone once said “players fail from the neck up”. Jason? Arians? I forget… Getting old sucks!
BTW the hardest I ever got hit was by a coach after I missed a block. Rang my bell with a helmet slap, and then I had to get lined up and repeat the play….LOL
Go Bucs!
August 22nd, 2025 at 8:56 am
Warren Brooks Lynch Says:
Warrick Dunn was short, but he was 25-30lbs heavier than Tez is right now.
———————————————————————————–
Dunn played at 178 pounds at Florida State (although they generously listed him at 185), and was 180 at the combine.
He was 20-25 pounds heavier than Tez is now when playing for the Bucs, but as a RB, had zero fear running up the middle through guys weighing a hundred or more pounds than himself.
@Rod Munch,
Yeah, the timing issue could be a problem. We’ll have to see how it all plays out whenever he gets a chance.
I suspect he’ll spend lots of time in the gym next off-season adding some muscle and weight to his body, and that should help.
August 22nd, 2025 at 1:06 pm
OMG, the ignorant comments are out of hand. I’m wondering why i spent so many years of my life learning, applying, and teaching sports specific training with an emphasis in speed, agility, and quickness if all i had to do is wake up and be experts like the guys commenting on here… seriously, your opinions are awful and should be kept to yourselves.
First off, somebody said Warrick Dunn was 25-30 lbs heavier than Johnson… WRONG. Dunn weighed in at 176 at the Combine. For a dude that mostly ran between the tackles, that’s almost nothing. How long did he play? DeSean Jackson weighed 169…. Todd Pinkston weighed 169 lbs…. at 6’2.
To say that Johnson CAN’T make it due to his size, is utter nonsense. He was the lightest player drafted but there have been numerous players that made it far smaller that were undrafted. Gerald McNeil played for the Browns in the late 80’s weighing all of 145 lbs. Virgil Seay and Alvin Garrett (Howard Cosell’s little monkey that could run) were all pretty much 160 or less. Hell, Darrell Greene was one of the best CBs ever and was listed at 178 but played much lighter according to his own admission.
As for Tez and packling on muscle… it isn’t as easy as the bodybuilders in the comments think it is. First off, how much weight will affect the speed and quickness? Secondly, he might be best at a weight of 160, not higher. If this dude doesn’t make it, it won’t be because he’s too light, it’ll be because he isn’t truly fast enough. Jalen Darden didn’t not make it because he was tiny… he didn’t make it because the speed he needed at North Texas St wasn’t nearly as much as he needed it to make it in the NFL.
August 22nd, 2025 at 4:50 pm
Brandon – I don’t disagree with you on Tez, mainly I think his height gives him a chance as he’s just as tall as D-Jax – but D-Jax’s NFL playing weight was around 175, so now you’re talking a 15lb difference, which is adding up. Looking at the two, I never thought D-Jax looked too small for the NFL, but Tez is on the borderline, but honestly once the pads are on, he doesn’t stand out for being exceptionally small, again due to his relatively tall height for someone who weights on 160lbs.
August 23rd, 2025 at 5:54 am
Tez is SMALL but this guy held up in a major college program and was a 1000 yard receiver. I’ll give him a chance