Bucs WR Tez Johnson celebrates catching a Kyle Trask pass for a touchdown Saturday by doing a flip. (An ESPN photo.)
When Joe is trying to figure out which bubble players have a shot to make it, he tries to determine who is having an upward trajectory.
In other words, which bubble player’s arrow is pointing up?
(This is why Joe is getting a bit concerned with Devin Culp. He was on fire the first couple of weeks of training camp but he has tapered off a great deal. Then last night, he fumbles. Not good.)
With Bucs rookie receiver Tez Johnson, he was making progress and then got dinged up. Since he returned to practice, you can see him slowly getting better. In other words, arrow is pointing up.
Then last night in the Backup Bowl with the Bills, Johnson made some really nice catches, including a fade to the right sideline in the end zone for a touchdown from Kyle Trask.
After the game, Bucs coach Todd Bowles praised Johnson’s progress.
“He really grew from last week to this week, understanding the little things,” Bowles said. “He made some plays.
“He played fast. He played like he knew what he was doing.”
Johnson’s one-yard touchdown catch from Trask on a fade to the fight side came with some style. After Johnson caught the ball, he made like Ozzie Smith and did a backflip in the end zone. And Johnson got far off the ground, too.
Bowles was asked how he scored Johnson’s backflip.
“I actually didn’t even see it,” Bowles smiled. “I was too busy doing other things, but I’ll look at it on tape.”
Johnson’s touchdown came in the final minute of the first half. At the start of the second half, Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht was in the broadcast booth of WFLA-TV Channel 8 and he seemed to grouse about Johnson’s backflip.
It wasn’t that Licht was angry about it or thought Johnson was trying to show up Buffalo. Licht was scared Johnson was going to hurt himself.
The Bucs have enough injuries as it is.
Joe also wondered, if the Bucs were going to cut Johnson, would Licht have given two s(p)its about Johnson’s backflip?
Come for the Tez Johnson TD.
Stay for the flip!
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— NFL (@NFL) August 24, 2025