The preseason is officially over, and teams have started to trim their roster as they turn their attention to the regular season. Before officially closing the book on the preseason, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a lot to be excited about. Of course, the games don’t count, but winning is always great and Tampa Bay finished with a 2-1 preseason record.
More importantly, though, the Bucs saw several young players make a name for themselves. While multiple guys created some momentum heading into the regular season, no Buccaneers player had a better preseason than rookie wide receiver Tez Johnson. He’s undoubtedly Tampa Bay’s biggest preseason winner.
Come for the Tez Johnson TD.
— NFL (@NFL) August 24, 2025
Stay for the flip!
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Tez Johnson is headed into the regular season with a lot of momentum
Johnson was selected by the Buccaneers in the seventh round of the draft, and a lot of the talk about him was about his size. At 5-foot-10, 165 pounds, many questioned if he’d be able to thrive in the NFL. The rookie receiver quickly proved his size isn’t an issue, consistently making plays throughout Tampa’s three preseason games.
In three games, Johnson caught 12-of-15 targets for 82 yards and one touchdown. The bulk of that production came in the final preseason game when he caught all eight of his targets for 58 yards and a score. He even added a flipping celebration.
Now, Johnson will look to carry this momentum into the regular season, where he should be able to contribute early due to the health of the Buccaneers receiver room. With Chris Godwin not expected to return until October, and Jalen McMillan started the year on injured reserves the top of Tampa Bay’s receiver room is pretty thin.
Of course, Mike Evans is still holding things down, and rookie Emeka Egbuka is expected to be an immediate impact player, but Johnson should have the opportunity to contribute early in the regular season.