Buccaneers: George Johnson working with Hall of Famer

Buccaneers defensive end George Johnson has been putting in work this off-season with former Buccaneers legend and Hall of Famer Warren Sapp.

The Buccaneers’ defensive line appears to have gone from a corps of little-to-no depth to one of great strength over the past two years. One player that seems to have been lost in the shuffle is defensive end George Johnson. Johnson was placed on injured reserve last season with a hip injury, causing him to miss the entire 2016 season after not recording a sack for the Bucs in 2015.

Some have speculated that Johnson won’t make the final 53-man roster given the talent and depth along the line, but that isn’t going to deter Johnson from busting his butt to improve and make an impact on a rising Bucs team in 2017.

Johnson took the time to speak with Scott Smith of FOX13 in Tampa about his missed season, his training, and his experience working with Sapp;

"“It’s an amazing but a blessed feeling. A guy like that that comes back and talks to players, helps break down individual moves, breaking it down so you can become a better player. It’s humbling because a lot of players don’t come back…”"

Johnson will be working along with Noah Spence, Robert Ayers, and the returning Jacquies Smith as they fight for playing time at defensive end. If Mike Smith integrates more 3-4 looks like many fans and media believe he will, we could see alignments where Johnson plays defensive end while, say, Noah Spence and Jacquies Smith are the outside linebackers, allowing for more playing time for Johnson.

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Johnson has working hard to not only return from his injury, but to become the impactful player the Buccaneers thought they were getting when they traded for him with the Lions back before the 2015 season.

If he learned anything from a guy like Warren Sapp and can translate it on to the field, he’s going to do just fine this year.