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Vikings' Charles Johnson won't become complacent despite breakout season

Bruce Kluckhohn / USA TODAY Sports

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Charles Johnson played an increasingly large role in the team's offense as the 2014 campaign wore on, but he refuses to rest on his laurels.

Johnson recorded 31 catches for 475 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games last season, supplanting Cordarrelle Patterson on the Vikings' depth chart.

Although the 26-year-old is almost certainly guaranteed a roster spot in 2015, Johnson refuses to become complacent with training camp rapidly approaching.

"In this business, you're never secure," Johnson told Master Tesfatsion of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "You never want to lie down and say, 'Hey, I made it.' I'm always working, and we're always working together. Nobody here has been handed anything, and we're just ready to come out here and work and become the best players we can be."

Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater similarly made drastic improvements throughout the second half of the season, and Johnson drew parallels between the Vikings' rising star and reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers.

"When I was with Green Bay and first went to practice and seen how Aaron Rodgers orchestrated the offense, it wowed me and amazed me," Johnson said. "He's one of the great quarterbacks in this league. I know Teddy looks up to him as another player to watch, and I can see Teddy growing in that aspect. I can see him having the same type of similarities that Aaron Rodgers demands when he gets to the huddle."

With the return of star running back Adrian Peterson from suspension and the acquisition of fellow wide receiver Mike Wallace, Johnson and the Vikings could be a sleeper to keep an eye on entering 2015.

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