Juwan Johnson Could See Reduced Role in 2026

Saints News: Juwan Johnson Has Competition in 2026

Juwan Johnson just had the best season of his career. The New Orleans Saints then spent their entire offseason trying to create competition for him.

Johnson played all 17 games in 2025 and finished with 77 receptions for 889 yards and three touchdowns on 102 targets, career highs across the board. He ranked third among all NFL tight ends in receiving yardage and fifth in catches. Only Chris Olave drew more targets from the Saints in the regular season. For a player who converted from wide receiver to tight end in his third year in the league, it was the kind of breakout that validated years of flashes buried under inconsistency and poor quarterback play.

Then the Saints drafted Jordyn Tyson eighth overall out of Arizona State, giving quarterback Tyler Shough a true vertical threat to pair with Olave. They added North Dakota State receiver Bryce Lance in the fourth round and LSU’s Barion Brown, a return specialist and gadget receiver, in the sixth. They signed tight end Noah Fant to a two-year, $8.75 million deal in free agency, bringing a seven-year veteran with 500-plus yard seasons on his resume. And with the third pick of the third round, they took Georgia tight end, Oscar Delp.

The sheer volume of additions is striking. Under head coach Kellen Moore, the Saints have added weapons at nearly every position in the passing game, a pattern that signals confidence in Shough and a clear intent to build around him quickly.

The more relevant question for Johnson is how much of the target distribution shifts in 2026. Fant is the most direct threat at his position. The veteran pass-catcher brings both receiving production and blocking experience, and ESPN has confirmed the Saints had interest in him dating back to a training camp visit in July 2025. Delp, by contrast, is a different kind of player. PFF’s post-draft analysis projects him as a TE3 or TE4 with limited receiving impact, identifying his run-blocking ability — not his pass-catching — as his primary value in New Orleans’ offense. Coach Moore himself cited blocking as the reason for drafting him alongside Johnson and Fant.

Still, the math is real. Johnson’s target share was 18 percent of all Saints passing attempts in 2025, a figure that will be harder to maintain with Tyson, Olave, Lance, and Fant all drawing volume. Johnson is signed through 2027 on a three-year extension worth over $10 million annually, which means the Saints are committed to him — but commitment and targets are not the same thing.

Johnson thrived partly because the Saints’ receiver room in 2025 was depleted. Rashid Shaheed was traded to Seattle mid-season. Devaughn Vele went on injured reserve. Olave missed time due to illness. Each absence funneled work toward Johnson. In 2026, with a fully loaded depth chart, those emergency target shares disappear.

The underlying skill set is not in question. Johnson’s 363 yards after the catch in 2025 ranked among the top tight ends in the league. His ability to create mismatches against linebackers and safeties in Moore’s offense remains intact. The concern is arithmetic. Tyson alone could absorb 80 to 100 targets in his first season if healthy, and every target he earns reduces the floor Johnson spent last season building.