Marcus Johnson News

Johnson began the campaign on New York's practice squad and got a permanent roster spot in mid-October. He ended up being active in a career-high 14 games but spent most of his time on the sidelines, particularly from Weeks 10-17, when he totaled just 46 offensive snaps and didn't record any catches or targets. Johnson heads into the offseason as a free agent, and considering his limited role with the Giants this season, his time in New York may be over after just one campaign.

Johnson was limited Thursday due to a knee injury, but he returned to full participation Friday and is good to go for the wild-card matchup. However, the reserve wideout has caught just nine of 22 targets for 99 yards across 14 appearances this season, so his presence shouldn't have a major impact on the Giants' offense.

Most of the Giants' key offensive players spent the game on the sideline, giving Johnson and a host of others normally relegated to depth roles a chance to log substantial snap counts. Johnson finished second on the team in both catches and receiving yards while finishing fourth in targets. He came into Week 18 with no targets since Week 8 against Seattle, as he has been working primarily on special teams. With that in mind, it's likely that Johnson will return to a minimal role when New York takes on Minnesota next weekend in the wild-card round.

Johnson has dressed for each of the Giants' last 10 games, but he hasn't played more than 10 snaps on offense in any of the team's five contests since the bye week and hasn't drawn a target during that stretch either. The 28-year-old wideout is expected to continue to see most of his playing time on special teams rather than offense down the stretch.

Johnson has ascended to a permanent roster spot after beginning the season on the practice squad and came into Sunday with five catches for 60 yards over his previous two games. However, he was unable to connect with Daniel Jones in the Week 7 victory. Johnson drew some wrath from his quarterback when he dropped a pass at the goal line on a 4th-and-2 play in the third quarter, and the receiver didn't see another target in the contest after that point. New York's wideout hierarchy remains largely unsettled, but with Darius Slayton and Wan'Dale Robinson beginning to emerge as Jones' top targets, Johnson could see his opportunities dwindle, especially if he isn't able to garner his quarterback's trust.

Johnson had been elevated from the practice squad in each of the Giants' last three games and served as a starting wideout for the latter two contests, accruing a 5-60-0 receiving line on seven targets while logging 83 snaps in total. His playing time may trend down a bit once the likes of Kadarius Toney (hamstring) and Kenny Golladay (knee) are back in action, though neither injured wideout practiced in any fashion last week.