The Minnesota Vikings may have had an embarrassing offensive performance against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, but that doesn’t mean that there weren’t any bright spots on the team. One of those bright spots came from a source that wasn’t even on the Vikings roster during at the beginning of the season.
Wide receiver Charles Johnson was signed by the Vikings off the Browns practice squad after Adrian Peterson was placed on the Exempt/Commissioner’s Permission List. After missing the previous season with the Packers due to a torn ACL, the Browns thought that they could hide Johnson until he was healthy enough to come up to the main roster, but the Vikings took a chance on the 6’2″ wide receiver.
The Vikings had a bit of inside information on Charles Johnson though. New Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner was the offensive coordinator for the Browns, and got to know Charles during his time there. And since he’s come to Minnesota, Johnson has been a reliable target for rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater that has been impressing fans each game he plays.
Oct 2, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Charles Johnson (12) catches the football during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Green Bay won 42-10. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Here are Charles Johnson’s stats for each game with the Vikings so far:
- Week 6: 1 catch, 7 yards
- Week 7: 2 catches, 22 yards
- Week 8: 2 catches, 18 yards
- Week 9: 1 catch, 13 yards
- Week 11: 6 catches, 87 yards
The most impressive thing about Charles Johnson’s week 11 performance against the Bears was that he caught all 6 of the passes that Teddy Bridgewater threw his way. In fact, Johnson more than tripled the yardage of the rest of the Vikings wide receivers combined (Patterson – 24 yards, Jennings – 4 yards). If Charles Johnson can continue to be a reliable target for the young Vikings quarterback, he could find himself earning a lot more playing time.
The gamble on picking up Charles Johnson by the Vikings is really paying off. Hopefully, he can continue to impress both the Vikings team and their fans.
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