Jason Witten stole the headlines away from Kyler Murray and his height and hand size at the NFL combine Thursday.
The former All-Pro tight end announced he was leaving the ESPN Monday Night Football broadcast booth to return to the Dallas Cowboys.
Fun fact: Witten is going into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame on March 30 along with former Houston Texans receiver Andre Johnson.
What if Johnson came back? What kind of contributions could he make?
Johnson would have an immediate impact as a great mentor for all of the young receivers in the room. All-Pro wideout DeAndre Hopkins has spoken frequently on record how Johnson took the time to answer all of his questions when he was a rookie back in 2013. Furthermore, it is that same attention to rookies that Hopkins shows and gave to undrafted rookie Vyncint Smith that helped him to thrive in 2018.
Of course, Johnson does have access to the team already as a sort of special ambassador for the team. However, he would be able to show them day to day in the locker room, during offseason workouts when no one is watching, on the practice field how to go about playing as one of the best receivers in the NFL.
The reality is he would steal quality developmental reps from guys like Smith and Keke Coutee. The club may also not be able to truly evaluate what type of talent they had at receiver as they churned the bottom of the roster because Johnson’s insertion would push guys like Coutee and Smith downward, taking reps away from the next Vyncint Smith, if one were to emerge.
The Texans have a decent core in the passing game already with Hopkins out wide, Coutee in the slot, and receiver Will Fuller the speedster who gets behind the back end. Given the Texans’ tight ends don’t have much of a presence in the passing game, they could go four-wide and have Johnson take the place of a tight end. Quarterback Deshaun Watson better know where his hot routes are, though.
Sometimes, it is best to let the legendary names exist in the rings of honor and not on the back of jerseys.
