Tez Johnson Better Than Expected
January 26th, 2026
Flippin’ good.
If Bucs receiver Tez Johnson has a career anywhere close to the following example, he will become of the great steals of the era run by Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht.
Usually seventh-round draft picks are nothing more than draft litter. And if a team is banking on a seventh-round pick to make an impact, that doesn’t say much for a team’s starting-22.
Well, the Bucs weren’t banking on Tez making an impact. Joe’s pretty sure they wanted him to return kicks, but the team decided very early on he wasn’t it. Or maybe he is, and the dumb special teams coach the Bucs fired didn’t know any better?
Because of injuries, the Bucs needed Tez as a receiver and he delivered more so than one would expect from a seventh-round pick.
Tez has the second-most touchdown catches for a rookie seventh-round pick (five) since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970. The only seventh-round pick rookie with more touchdown was Marques Colston with the slimy Saints, who had eight.
Colston won a Super Bowl with the slimy Saints, catching passes from Drew Brees. In six of his first seven seasons, Colston had over 1,000 yards receiving.
Tez only had 322 yards receiving. He started half the season, eight games. Colston, by comparison, started 14.
But if Tez becomes anything close to where Colston is, he will be one helluva draft pick by the Bucs.
January 26th, 2026 at 12:29 am
Just saw a report that Sean McDermott might sit out a year….
Could he possibly be the next Bucs HC in waiting…
I love to think so!
January 26th, 2026 at 12:50 am
Grizz did not make the best use of Tez. Tez has dependable hands, and he’s slicker than snail snot. He could have been very effective later in the season when defenses were looking for Mike and Chris. It could have been the Bucs getting kicked out of the playoffs in the Wildcard round. Oh well. Maybe next season.
January 26th, 2026 at 1:07 am
Why???
They are one in the same. Only difference is McDermott had a Hall of Fame quarterback.
January 26th, 2026 at 1:41 am
Tez was really a bright spot on the team. Now, all we need to do is sign Pitts and Breece Hall and our offense might just be able to overcome our horribly coached defense. The sad part is that we have some great players on defense, including McCollum but Todd doesn’t put them in a position to succeed.
January 26th, 2026 at 1:42 am
Totally disagree Joes!!
McDermott and Bowles are NOT one & the same…
McDermott is a hell of a coach!!
He was an awesome DC before he got a HC job.
If McDermott sits out this season, Bucs brass need to do whatever they can to snag him after our defense lays yet again another egg this coming season…
January 26th, 2026 at 1:56 am
We beat the seahawks in seattle so were technically nfc champions 🤔☺️
January 26th, 2026 at 2:44 am
That would be a BIG negative. A hail no to a ‘defensive’ next HC. And, depending on who it is I want YOUNG and AGGRESSIVE. Same at GM. That’s why you could NOT afford to NOT make the Coen move, and lose HIM. But, ‘defensive’ HC is a non starter. Can’t be depended on the continuous revolving door at OC. Need someone who can coach their own scheme and call their own plays!!!! A young, bold, and aggressive FO. I would look very closely at hiring someone from the Rams, Philly, San Fran, Seattle, & Detroit FO’s. Damn, all of those franchises are in the NFC, too! Now, that’s some tough sledding. Even, Green Bay and Minnesota’s FO’s are top notch, too!!!! We are soooo SCREWED.
We’ve got to catch up. Currently, we are sooooo far off. Shew. We are not ‘built’ to compete longterm. Hell, not even in the short term. All these other teams are just waaaayyy ahead of us right now, by leaps and bounds. We’re going to have to just rip the bandaid off. Hopefully, the Glazers won’t be delusional enough to to continue buying into this same garbage, when we’re sitting there at 2-6, and coming up on the deadline. And, believing that this team has a chance during the second-half of the season, while trying to save Todd’s (and Lickt’s) jobs.
January 26th, 2026 at 2:45 am
mcdermott keeps hitting a wall…or a ceiling…whatever you want to call it…
and he’s no longer joshing around in the buffalo vicinity 🙂
January 26th, 2026 at 2:46 am
pass on josh mcdermott
January 26th, 2026 at 2:50 am
tez is a nice piece…glad we got him…
everything often looks so easy with him…like the passes flow from baker to tez…the movements seem to flow…the TDs come fairly smoothly…
there’s like some sort of smoothness or flow with this dude tez…hard to pinpoint it, but i like him a whole lot as a 5th, who gets bumped up throughout a season as injuries come into play
January 26th, 2026 at 2:55 am
It’s unbelievable to me STILL, that they’ve stuck with Bowles for this long, and have allowed all of these TOP young coaches to just slide on by, and sign elsewhere, without EVEN TRYING. And, then to EXTEND HIM when they didn’t even have to!? It’s Disgusting. Pure Negligence.
January 26th, 2026 at 4:07 am
That Tez flip was heart-stopping. So afraid he was going to get hurt because he is definitely a keeper.
No to McDermott for the Bucs. We need younger, progressive, and proven. If we don’t do well this upcoming season, we will also need someone to get us over the hump too. The Bills GM actually should have been fired first. And that owner press conference was bizarre and outlandish.
January 26th, 2026 at 5:51 am
Not gonna act as though McDermot is all that but he’s definitely > than Bowles. Yes McDermott as a HOF QB, but that’s it . I felt the Bucs collective offensive roster far outweighed Buffalo’s. But McDermott took a failing team and made them a playoff contender…..Bowles took a successful team and turned them into failures. “One in the same.” Pffft
January 26th, 2026 at 6:39 am
Bowles retained his job despite failing spectacularly. It’s disgusting. With the failure still employed there will be no excitement this offseason for me. I don’t give a rip what anybody says this football team quit on Bowles in 2025 and that should of been a death sentence professionally. The Glazers are straight up morons for extending the failure and they’re also cowards for keeping him after the great collapse. I’ll remember 2 things from that nightmare of a season….
3rd and 28 and “As coaches we’ve done all we can” when asked about why his team fell off a cliff. I despise this guy as a coach.
January 26th, 2026 at 6:44 am
Bucfan1988 What has McDermott done in the post season. All he’s done is win some division titles.
January 26th, 2026 at 6:47 am
Buck, don’t forget about punting on 4th and 2 against Buffalo in their territory with 6 minutes left. Point shaving!!
January 26th, 2026 at 6:48 am
BucU…..
January 26th, 2026 at 6:52 am
We don’t utilize Tez properly, he should be used as close to possible as a DJax, when he was in Philly. Both Him and EE, should have had a better year!
January 26th, 2026 at 6:54 am
Not really. He regressed like everyone else suffering underneath the Weight of the Bwoles.
January 26th, 2026 at 7:09 am
I remember Tez’s draft call. Had me a little misty eyed. Glad to have this kid on the team. Now let’s see what zac can do with him…
January 26th, 2026 at 8:08 am
I don’t recall McDerrmott dropping fake F bombs because he couldn’t motivate his team. I believe TB is a propped up phony living off years ago success. Best words to describe TB is adequate and mediocrity.
January 26th, 2026 at 8:22 am
It’s up to the coaches to develop and bring out the best in players. Sounds like OC Robinson is an upgrade over GRIZZARD with lots of upside.
The Bucs have upgraded Special teams coach and hopefully others.
Jason Licht has drafted well in the past couple of years. The talent is there and 2026 iteam s looking much better.
2025 is in the rear view mirror 🪞 Todd Bowles has no more excuses. I’m hopeful and excited about next season.
January 26th, 2026 at 8:28 am
No that’s not it McDermott was also in a crappy division so I don’t think those division titles are what people make them out to be kinda like well Mr “I won the division three times and that says something” there are almost twinsies like joe has said.
January 26th, 2026 at 10:01 am
Colston is 6’4 220lbs….lol