Buffalo Bills 2023 Free Agent Profile: Jaquan Johnson

The Buffalo Bills drafted Jaquan Johnson in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft and he was primarily a backup and special teams player in his four seasons with the team. Entering this season, there was a question on what the future would hold for Johnson as there was a thought he could be the eventual replacement for Jordan Poyer, whose contract ended after the 2022 season.

The reason it was a question was that Jaquan Johnson didn’t get much playing time at the position in his first three seasons because of how durable Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer had been during their time with Buffalo. Both players rarely missed games and because of this Johnson only had one career start entering the 2022 season.

However, that appeared like it might change this season and Johnson might get a chance to be the full-time starter after Hyde was placed on injured reserve with a neck injury. That wasn’t the case as Damar Hamlin would eventually move to the starting lineup and Jaquan Johnson remained the backup.

In four seasons in the league, Jaquan Johnson has 58 total tackles and two interceptions.

Should the Buffalo Bills re-sign Jaquan Johnson this offseason?

The fact that Jaquan Johnson wasn’t moved into the starting lineup and passed on the depth chart by Damar Hamlin early in the season and Dean Marlowe late in the season could be an indication that the coaching staff isn’t confident in him as a starter. He is unlikely a player that could take over for Jordan Poyer or Micah Hyde in the future and the Buffalo Bills may want to add younger talent through the NFL Draft.

However, the Buffalo Bills have a lot of question marks at the safety position as Johnson is not the only free agent this offseason and is joined by Poyer and Dean Marlowe. On top of that, Johnson made most of his impact on special teams and that is also a part of the roster with a number of free agents.

While there are some reasons to bring back Jaquan Johnson next season, the roster spot is probably better used for a draft pick at the position.