TaysomHill

Oct 6

Saints adjust without Noah Fant: The Saints’ primary backup tight end was inactive with an abdominal injury.

The Saints kept Juwan Johnson as their lead tight end but changed the depth behind him this offseason. They didn’t re-sign Foster Moreau or Taysom Hill and instead signed Fant and drafted Oscar Delp. In Week 1, Johnson played 84. 4% of the offensive snaps while Delp was inactive. Johnson dominated the snaps in 11 personnel, while he and Fant shared the field in 12 personnel. Over the next two weeks, however, the Saints used more of a rotation at tight end. Johnson continued to dominate on third downs, but he and Fant split the early-down snaps in 11 personnel. In 12 personnel, Fant was consistently on the field, with Johnson and Delp rotating alongside him. Fant was limited in practice all week with an abdominal injury and entered the weekend as questionable before ultimately being ruled inactive. Treyton Welch, who was a healthy inactive last week, was active in his place. Fant’s absence kept Johnson on the field more frequently in 12 personnel, where he and Delp formed the most common pairing. Delp also rotated in for Johnson on early downs in 11 personnel, though not as frequently as Fant had over the previous two weeks. Johnson took advantage of the increased playing time, catching five passes for 53 yards, with the Saints playing from behind also helping his receiving opportunities. He remains a sell-high candidate, as his playing time should decline once Fant returns. Johnson could also see a significant reduction in snaps in games where the Saints are able to play from ahead, making his current level of production difficult to sustain.

Sep 14

Johnson was a popular waiver wire target this past week with the Saints' thin wide receiver room and the matchup. Johnson slowly but surely transformed from a situational tight end to an every-down tight end during his career. He played 76% of snaps last season, which was a notable increase compared to earlier in his career. He played an exceptionally high rate early last season while Foster Moreau and Taysom Hill were out due to injury. The Saints completely changed their depth at tight end this offseason, moving on from Moreau and Hill, and instead adding Noah Fant in free agency and drafting Oscar Delp. The Saints signed tight end Treyton Welch to the active roster on Saturday. He helped while Delp was out with a hamstring injury. Johnson played 84.4% of snaps, which was much higher than late last season. He played over 80% of snaps in 11 personnel on early downs, 11 personnel on third downs, 12 personnel and 13 personnel, with Fant joining in 12 personnel and Welch added in 13 personnel. It’s possible that Delp will cut into Johnson’s playing time once he returns, but until then, we can expect a little more out of Johnson.