Orchard Park, N.Y. (WGR 550) – The Buffalo Bills still don’t know if they'll have Tre White for opening night against the Los Angeles Rams. White had knee surgery last December and is continuing his rehab.
If White isn’t ready to go, the competition appears to be between this year’s first-round pick Kaiir Elam and another rookie in Christian Benford.
The Bills have Dane Jackson listed as the corner slated to start opposite White after last year’s starter Levi Wallace wasn’t re-signed by the Bills and is now with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In four seasons with the Bills, Taron Johnson has played 55 games and started 35 of them, mostly at nickel cornerback.
With Wallace gone and White, Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde injured, it’s been a whole different defensive backfield for Johnson, but he says he hasn’t felt too much out of sorts.
“A little bit, but when it comes down to it, when I’ve been with the guys that have been here since OTAs, I feel like they’re doing a great job and they’ve definitely stepped up,” Johnson said.
The 26-year-old came to the Bills out of Weber State as a fourth-round pick (121st overall) in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Johnson has three regular season interceptions, with one going for a touchdown against the Steelers during the 2020 campaign.
However, his biggest pick came in the 2020 AFC Divisional Round against the Baltimore Ravens. The game was inside of a minute left in the third quarter and quarterback Lamar Jackson was driving the Ravens down the field to tie the game. Johnson picked off Jackson and went 101 yards for a touchdown to give the Bills a 17-3 lead, which ended up being the final score.
With that experience, as well as others, Johnson feels like he’s no longer a younger player finding his way.
“I’m getting a little older now, so I just try to take what I’ve learned in my four or five years and try to pass it down," Johnson said. "[Elam and Benford are] young guys, so they’re eager to learn. That’s a testament to [Brandon] Beane and the players that he’s bringing in here, because they’re always ready to learn.”
Let me put my Buffalo Sabres hat back on for one second, that’s exactly one of the things that general manager Kevyn Adams has taken away from Beane. The Sabres' young players are the exact same way.
Back to football, one of the things that makes Johnson a better player is he has gone up against players like Cole Beasley, Isaiah McKenzie and now Jamison Crowder in practice. When it’s Josh Allen throwing them the ball, you can’t help but get better.
“Every day feels like game day going against Josh and those guys, because it’s a great offense, and I feel like going against them is going to make it easier on game day,” Johnson said.
McKenzie is totally different from what Johnson faced in practice against Beasley.
“Cole is definitely more shifty. Isaiah’s faster," Johnson explained. "Just having that mix, and even with Crowder out there too, it’s just making my game better.”
Until the playoff game in Kansas City against the Chiefs in 2021, the Bills had one of the best defenses in the NFL. The Chiefs game showed them that they still have a long way to go, and Johnson knows they need to improve.
“We’re just focusing on the details and the fundamentals, and just taking the ball away from them,” he said.
The Bills wrap up the preseason on Friday in Carolina against the Panthers. Head coach Sean McDermott has already said that most of the starters, including Allen, won’t play in that game.
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