Can Charles Johnson be a playmaker for the Vikings in 2017?
Minnesota Vikings receiver Charles Johnson has slowly faded the past 2 seasons. Can he be a playmaker for the Vikings in 2017?
The top 2 spots on the Minnesota Vikings receiver depth chart are presumably locked up by Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen since they put up excellent numbers in the 2016 season. Besides those two, there are a lot of questions at the receiver position that need to be answered. One of those questions is if Charles Johnson can step up to produce solid numbers as the 3rd option at receiver next season.
Charles showed a lot of promise in 2014 by reaching almost 500 yards in only 12 games played. Even more impressive is that only 6 of those games were starts. He was a pleasant surprise that season who looked so natural playing the position. As a result, fans had very high hopes for him heading into the 2015 season.
2015 was about as bad as it gets production wise for Charles. He ended the season with no touchdowns and only 127 receiving yards in 11 games played. This was very disappointing to Vikings fans who penciled him in their minds as the teams go to receiver. To be fair he did battle some injuries that effected his play most of that season. Therefore he got a pass heading into the 2016 season. It is worth noting that his injuries and struggles did open up an opportunity for Stefon Diggs to show everyone that he was the steal of the draft.
Things did not get much better for Charles during his 2016 campaign. He battled a hamstring injury all season long and therefore did not contribute much at all to the passing game. There were times where it just looked like he didn’t even go for a ball that was within reach.
On a positive note, there were also a couple of games were he showed small flashes of that 2014 season. As a result of his inconsistency he played less as the season progressed. He finished with no touchdowns and only 232 yards.
Below is a tweet showing some optimism that he is ready to take that next step.
Going into next season there is still a big opportunity for him to shine due to other player under performing as well . The Vikings need someone to take ownership in being that third guy. He will be going against Laquon Treadwell and Cordarelle Patterson which won’t be easy. Hopefully the competition will bring out the best in him and get him ready to produce at least a 500 yard season.
Next: Pat Shurmur discusses Vikings offensive changes for 2017
Charles Johnson can be that guy because of his skills and size. If he does bring that kind of production to the offense, it will be a huge win for the Minnesota Vikings as well as Johnson’s future with the franchise.