When the season began for the Vikings, very few had ever heard of Charles Johnson. After all, played his college football at Grand Valley State University and wasn’t even invited to the NFL combine. Despite that, Johnson was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the 7th round of the 2013 NFL Draft (216th overall pick).
After dealing with some knee issues through Packers camp, Charles Johnson was signed to the Cleveland Browns active roster in October of 2013. It was then that it was determined that he needed surgery to repair his ACL, forcing him to miss the entire 2013 season. He did return to have an impressive preseason for Cleveland, earning a spot on their practice squad.
Charles Johnson didn’t last long on the practice squad after the Vikings had an opening due to star running back Adrian Peterson being placed on the Exempt/Commissioner’s Permission List in September of this year. Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner was familiar with Johnson due to their time spent together with the Cleveland Browns the year prior.
It turns out the Browns and Packers loss is the Vikings gain.
Rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater seems to have a real rapport with Charles Johnson, seemingly trusting him more than any other pass catcher on the Vikings team. Here is a breakdown of the number of times each player was targeted by passes from Bridgewater over the last 4 weeks:
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
30 – Charles Johnson
21 – Greg Jennings
13 – Matt Asiata
10 – Jerick McKinnon
10 – Kyle Rudolph
9 – Jarius Wright
6 – Cordarrelle Patterson
5 – Rhett Ellison
4 – Joe Banyard
3 – Chase Ford
As you can see, Charles Johnson has had the most passes thrown his direction. In fact, 9 more than the next closest pass catcher, Greg Jennings. With how Johnson and Bridgewater are developing as a young QB-WR duo, they could be developing a bright future for a team with so much youth being developed at the moment.
Charles Johnson has become the Vikings starting wide receiver opposite Greg Jennings, having outplayed Cordarrelle Patterson for the job. Johnson has accumulated 343 receiving yards and two touchdowns in his 9 games played for Minnesota.
Johnson is a pleasant surprise for the Vikings. He’s stepped up in a way that both a seasoned veteran like Greg Jennings and a high profile first round draft pick in Cordarrelle Patterson couldn’t do. He has given Teddy Bridgewater a chance at potentially playing with a true #1 wide receiver.
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