Buffalo Bills: Kevin Johnson has been ‘extremely focused’ at OTAs

Free-agent addition Kevin Johnson may be living up to expectations for the Buffalo Bills.

The Buffalo Bills tiptoed into a busy off-season early by signing cornerback Kevin Johnson two days before the official start of free agency. A former first-round pick in 2015, Johnson was expected to shore up the Houston Texans’ secondary. But, injuries halted those efforts, as the 26-year-old has finished two out of four seasons on injured reserved.

Johnson showed promise in his rookie season, starting ten games and tallying a pick, nine pass deflections, and 52 tackles. He then started his second season on a good note, posting a high Pro Football Focus 81.2 grade in his first six games before sustaining a season-ending foot injury. Since then, he hasn’t quite been the same; starting five games in two seasons.

Johnson’s lack of availability ended his time in Houston. Now in Buffalo, he’s healthy and determined to shed a “bust” label. His efforts to do so have been noted by the coaching staff, as head coach Sean McDermott pointed out during his most recent press-conference;

"What I’ve seen to this point is a young man who is extremely focused, works extremely hard, is smart, plays the game the way that we want it to be played — he’s gotten his hands on some footballs this spring to this point which is important for us in terms of taking the ball away and playing good defense. We’ll see more when the pads come on, it’s still early. To this point I’ve loved his mindset."

For a cornerback looking to put the past behind him, Johnson appears to have brought the mindset he needs. The 6-foot, 185-pound cornerback was praised as a prospect for defying his light frame and providing Wake Forrest with physicality, confidence, and aggressive. His physical, aggressive nature showed in Houston, but his confidence, likely due to injuries, appeared to have diminished.

McDermott has been lauded for his ability to instill hard-work, confidence, and familiarity within his locker room. An environment like that is valuable for a player that hasn’t quite had the career he wished for. Yet, equally as valuable is competition, which the Bills have a lot of.

Johnson has the talent to be the team’s starting No. 2 cornerback adjacent Tre’Davious White; so do three others. Levi Wallace, the incumbent starter, shined in his rookie season and earned PFF’s best rookie cornerback nod. Behind him is Taron Johnson, who did well at the position in the past. Veteran E.J. Gaines returns to the team as after leaving for Cleveland — in 2017, with the Bills, he had a career-high 80.1 PFF coverage grade.

Alongside the competition, and motivation, the Wake Forest product has the familiarity to thrive in Buffalo. Defensive back coach John Butler had the same role in Houston during Johnson’s first three years in the league. Johnson shed some light on their relationship when signing with the team in March;

"Coach J.B. I had in Houston for three years and he’s a very good coach that I know. With him being here that’s a good thing for me because I know he’s a great DB coach."

The sum of Johnson’s switch from Houston to Buffalo could be positive. Judging by McDermott’s appraisal of him, the talent is still there for the cornerback, and so is the mindset. Johnson must continue that upward trend in both to see starting snaps in a loaded cornerback room, but there isn’t an apparent reason (other than an injury) why he can’t.

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