The NFL announced Wednesday that Buccaneers returner Kameron Johnson received NFC special teams player of the week honors for his role in Tampa Bay’s Week 1 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
Johnson produced a game-flipping 54-yard punt return, which easily stood as the longest punt return of the week by 31 yards. It was also the Buccaneers’ longest punt return in nearly 10 years, nearly matching Bobby Rainey’s 58-yard return against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5 of 2015. Fittingly, Johnson becomes
the first non-kicker/punter for the Buccaneers to earn the award since Rainey performed that feat.
The return came at a critical moment, with the score tied at 10 with less than 10 minutes in the third quarter. The return positioned the Bucs at the Atlanta 32 and led to a score via a Bucky Irving maximum effort touchdown reception.
Johnson, who is the only player from Div-II Barton College to ever make an NFL roster, also added good work as a gunner, downing a Riley Dixon punt inside the 20.
