Bills cornerback Kevin Johnson found his way to Buffalo despite being a former first-round pick.
Clearly he had talent, but why was he even a free agent last offseason?
The Houston Texans selected Johnson No. 16 overall at the 2015 NFL Draft. One of the biggest factors involved in him not sticking around there were health concerns.
But with the Bills in 2019, Johnson proved some doubters wrong. He played in all 16 games for the first time since his rookie season. He told the Buffalo News that’s what he set out to prove in his one-year deal with the Bills and he feels he did exactly that.
“I showed I can make it through a season,” Johnson said.
Johnson, 27, did prove he can stay healthy. Whether or not he’ll be back on the Bills again will likely be determined by his snaps played, in a way. With the Texans, he played a larger role. Did he stay healthy with the Bills? Without a doubt. However, it was in a rotational role instead of a feature role that played in multiple positions in the secondary, like he did in Houston.
If the Bills want to bring Johnson back, they’ll likely negotiate with that in their back pocket. But Johnson did certainly live up to his one-year, $3 million deal he signed prior to last season. Buffalo would be smart to bring him back on a similar deal, even if Levi Wallace is slated to be back in 2020, which he is as an ERFA.
In the past, the Bills defense has gotten burned but a lack of cornerback depth, such as 2018 when Vontae Davis abruptly retired. So while rotational, Johnson was important and Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott knows that, as he called Johnson a “fit” for his defense during the team’s brief playoff run. McDermott often showed he had learned the importance of secondary depth in regard to Johnson’s signing with the team.
“(Johnson’s) mindset has been impressive with his toughness and focus,” McDermott added last offseason after Johnson signed with the team.
But there’s two sides to this. Johnson will have to want to come back to Buffalo, too. He already said he’s open to that.
“Those decisions aren’t up to me, but I would love to be back here,” Johnson told reporters after the Bills were eliminated by his former team in the playoffs. “We’ll see how all that plays out.”
Regardless, Johnson should see some increased interest in him around the league thanks to that full season of health and strong play he put together. For his overall efforts, Pro Football Focus pegged him the 23rd best cornerback in the NFL last season, with an overall grade of 71.9.
That’ll catch the Bills’ interest and other potential suitors, too.
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