The WR3 Fallout from Bisi Johnson’s Injury

Bisi Johnson
Image Courtesy of Dustin Baker.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Bisi Johnson registered 483 receiving yards on 45 receptions during his first two seasons in the NFL. Not a herculean feat by conventional standards, the marks are noteworthy because Johnson was a 7th-Round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. And 7th-Rounders generally do not provide an impact to football teams. Some do — but on the whole, they do not.

Johnson was making a mini-impact, though. He was intermixed in a revitalized WR3 battle that included Dede Westbrook, Chad Beebe, and rookie Ihmir Smith-Marsette.

For now, Johnson exits-stage-left for a season due to an injury that he suffered on Friday.

Most Vikings brains did not have Johnson at the top of their WR3 projections, but he was not ruled out as a contender.

Minnesota notoriously skimped at the WR3 spots for years, employing men like Laquon Treadwell, Chad Beebe, and even Johnson in 2019. There is absolutely nothing wrong or bad about these three players, but none of the men produced like true-blue WR3s might for other NFL teams. A third wide receiver should contribute 500-700 receiving yards, perhaps four to seven touchdowns, and display a knack for moving the chains on third down. Treadwell, Beebe, and Johnson have not consistently demonstrated adherence to those metrics. It also doesn’t help matters that the Vikings run the football at a top-five clip leaguewide.

So, what do we know? It is certain that Johnson will miss all of 2021. Adrian Peterson, a cyborg, is not capable of returning from an ACL tear in four months, so Johnson isn’t doing anything of the sort.

Johnson is out. And that paves the way — if it wasn’t obvious already — for Westbrook to emerge as the guy at WR3. General Manager Rick Spielman inked Westbrook with the intention of a WR3 relationship — although he claims the identity of WR3 will be determined by camp and preseason battles — and he should now vividly slide into the role.

Westbrook has explicit ties to new Vikings wide receiver coach, Keenan McCardell, who mentored Westbrook with the Jacksonville Jaguars for four seasons. Their affiliation now continues in purple and gold clothing.

Chad Beebe is on the roster, too. Much like Johnson effectuated in 2019, Beebe served as the defacto WR3 in 2020. If there was no such thing as a Westbrook free-agent signing, Beebe would be the frontrunner in the wake of Johnson’s absence. But again, there is a Westbrook to dethrone — an unlikely occurrence as the ex-Jaguar performed at a somewhat high level in Jacksonville with subpar quarterback play.

If not Westbrook or Beebe, the other suitors are rookie Ihmir Smith-Marsette or the second-year K.J. Osborn. Both men have generated impressive training camps out of the gate. Rookie Kellen Mond is developing a rapport with Smith-Marsette while Osborn is grabbing every ball flung in his direction.

A WR3 eventuality of Smith-Marsette or Osborn would be bittersweet. Why? It would indicate that the Westbrook experiment never got off the ground — but one of those two youngsters suddenly busted out. And the combination of those two hypotheses isn’t terrible. In fact, it would be Vikings-esque for a WR3 sure-thing to stumble with an organically-drafted wide receiver taking the job.

Westbrook is the certified frontrunner — just like he was the day that Spielman acquired his services. Johnson has the opportunity to heal with the Vikings and shoot his shot at this time next year. He’s under contract through the end of the 2022 season.

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