Once upon a time, Kevin Johnson was slated to be the lockdown cornerback of the Houston Texans secondary. The Texans selected the Wake Forrest product in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft with expectations of such. He did not live up to them.
After a promising rookie season, Johnson struggled to stay healthy with the Texans, missing 29 games over the next three seasons. He fell out of favor in Houston, as they released him in the 2019 offseason to void a pricey fifth-year option.
The Buffalo Bills picked up Johnson as depth behind Tre’Davious White and Levi Wallace after his release from the Texans. On Saturday, he will return to Houston to face the Texans in the wild card round of the playoffs.
Johnson enjoyed a healthy regular season with the Bills, as he made in appearances in all 16 games and started one. He has played well in Western New York, as his former coach Bill O’Brien tells.
“Kevin’s playing really well,” O’Brien said on Monday. “Playing really well, he’s healthy. He does a really job of transitioning, he does a good job of ball hawking, he’s playing on special teams. He’s doing a lot of things for Buffalo and doing a good job.”
Though not a starter in Buffalo, Johnson acts as a key reserve player for a stingy pass defense. According to Pro Football Reference, he did not allow a touchdown in the regular season after seeing 44 targets go his way. His 79.8 passer rating allowed in coverage is a massive improvement over the 139.6 allowed in 2019, where he saw two touchdowns converted by the offense in five targets.
Johnson’s career with the Texans did not go as planned. Though he showed promise, he couldn’t consistently stay on the field. For the Bills, that’s different, as he’s brought them a key contributor with a full bill of health.