Bills' Unsung Hero Taron Johnson Recognized by PFF
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Not until Tre'Davious White is completely healed from his ACL injury and the Buffalo Bills' other starting outside cornerback emerges will the chatter begin to die down about the uncertainty at those spots.
One position nobody has been talking about is the Bills' third corner, Taron Johnson, who is a starter in their 4-2-5 base.
The reason is clear: There's nothing to discuss.
Johnson has the slot position locked down. There are no rookies or veterans coming for his job. He's not coming back from any injury. He's not at any kind of career crossroads. There isn't even a potential contract complication looming, thanks to the three-year extension he signed before last season.
He just goes about his job without a lot of fanfare compared to the "stars" of the defense like White, safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer, linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano and new edge rusher Von Miller, who is a lock for the Hall of Fame.
That's probably because he's just rarely out of position and hardly ever beaten.
As a result, Johnson has been named the fourth best slot corner in the NFL by Pro Football Focus in its latest rankings as he heads into his fourth season.
"Johnson has shown immense growth these last couple of years," the report stated. "Since 2020, he owns a top-10 slot coverage grade and ranks third with 25 passing stops. The 5-foot-11, 192-pound corner is a smooth operator in zone coverage, playing with good balance and sure-fire tackling. He also owns the third-lowest missed tackle rate in zone from the slot over the last two seasons — just five misses on 76 attempts. His play led to a much-deserved contract extension at the beginning of the 2021 season, giving Buffalo one of the top slot corners for the next few years."
Johnson last season finished with career highs in starts (15), passes defended (7) and sacks (3.0).
In 61 career games, Johnson has four interceptions, including one he returned 101 yards for a touchdown to turn the momentum for good in what was a tight playoff contest against the Baltimore Ravens in the 2020 postseason.
Johnson doesn't have any guaranteed money (other than for injury) in his contract beyond this season, so the Bills may be wise to work out another adjustment.
But for now (and just like last season), slot corner is one position for which there are no worries.
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Nick Fierro is the publisher of Bills Central. Check out the latest Bills news at www.si.com/nfl/bills and follow Fierro on Twitter at @NickFierro. Email to Nicky300@aol.com.
