Familiar foe for Taron Johnson
The same year that the Buffalo Bills drafted Josh Allen with their first-round pick, they drafted cornerback Taron Johnson three rounds later.
For eight seasons, Johnson made his presence felt. Playing in multiple spots within the Bills secondary, he racked up six interceptions, eight forced fumbles, eight sacks and 23 tackles for loss in his time there. He was named Second-Team All-Pro in 2023 and appeared in 15 playoff games.
This offseason, the 30-year-old was traded to the Raiders and immediately assumed the role of starting nickelback. His production in the Silver and Black has included two pass deflections, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. But more importantly, he’s brought veteran leadership to a young secondary.
“Poise, leadership, instincts, communication,” defensive coordinator Rob Leonard said of what Johnson brings to his unit. “He walks through like Maxx, like it’s a game. Everything’s very locked in, very focused. There’s no nonchalant. So, he’s been awesome.”
This will notably be Johnson’s first game against his former team and an explosive Bills offense.
“[Allen] is a really good quarterback, one of the best in the league,” Johnson said. “So, that’s definitely going to be a challenge. Just his combination of how he can run, how he can pass the ball. It’s going to take all 11 to defend him.”
Considering the thousands of practice reps he’s stacked up against many of the players still on the Bills roster, does that give him the advantage going into this game?
“I don’t know if I have an edge, you know what I’m saying?” Johnson said. “We’re gonna see when we play them.”