New York Giants Place Tight End Theo Johnson on PUP List

Theo Johnson, the New York Giants’ rookie tight end from Penn State, will begin his first season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. The Giants released the news Tuesday, when rookies reported to training camp.

The Giants selected Johnson in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and the rookie is expected to play a role on offense. The team did not release any information about Johnson’s physical status, or a possible injury, in placing him on the PUP list.

Johnson had made a strong first impression during spring workouts and caught the eye of head coach Brian Daboll.

“He’s smart. He’s a young professional, a true pro, loves the game,” Daboll said. “[He] has good size, can bend, can run. Obviously tested really well. But had a really good pro day, too, at Penn State, moving around, running his routes, hitting the bag. You can only get so much out of it. You can tell his bend, you can tell he’s athletic. He’s a good guy we thought we could work with.”

Johnson told reporters during rookie minicamp that he believes he has a “super high ceiling” in the NFL.

“I think I haven’t even scratched the surface of what I’m capable of,” Johnson said. “I’m really looking forward to proving every day that I’m out here.”

Johnson caught seven touchdown passes for the Nittany Lions last season and then turned in one of the best performances ever for a tight end at the NFL Scouting Combine. According to RAS, a site that determines relative athletic scores of combine participants, Johnson scored a 9.99 out of a possible 10 in combine drills. It was the second-highest value among tight ends over the past 37 years. The RAS scored rated Johnson as “elite” in speed and explosion and “great” in size and agility measurements.

Johnson showcased his athleticism in multiple ways at the combine. He ran the second-fastest time in the 40-yard dash among tight ends (4.57 seconds) and tied for the fastest 10-second split (10.55). Johnson placed second in the broad jump (10-5) and vertical jump (39-5). He also ran the fastest shuttle time (4.19) among tight ends and was fifth in the three-cone drill (7.15 seconds).

“I think I have tremendous room to improve,” Johnson said. “I think I can grow a lot more than where I’m at right now. I think that’s why I’m so excited. I’m coming in here with a learning mindset. I want to develop respect from my teammates and my coaches. I think that’s going to help me continue to grow and improve. But I’m super excited to get to work and get going here, because I think I have a potential to be a really special player here.”

The Giants open training camp July 24.

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.