Buffalo Bills sign Kevin Johnson: Grades, reaction and more
By Nick Villano
The Buffalo Bills signed former Houston Texans cornerback Kevin Johnson to play in their secondary. It’s a move with high risk, but a possible high reward.
The Buffalo Bills wasted no time filling their only hole on an underrated defense. They signed cornerback Kevin Johnson to play next to Tre’Davious White. This gives them one of the more solid cornerback duos in the AFC, but there’s one thing standing in their way.
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Johnson missed all but one game last season with concussion issues. The problem with concussions is there’s no real telling when it’s over or when it’s going to end a young player’s career. At just 26 years old, Johnson seems like he’s well worth the gamble, but those injury issues will always be there.
This is a little bit better than a depth move for the Bills. They have a very good nickel cornerback in Taron Johnson. Their safeties are set with Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer. Their only secondary position of need was second cornerback, but if Johnson goes down it leaves a remaining question mark.
Contract Details
Right now, we don’t have them. Somehow, despite this being rumors season in the NFL, the details of his deal with the Bills have not been leaked. They are expected on Wednesday when the deal becomes official.
National Reaction
With players like Nick Foles and Landon Collins signing on the same day, the reaction was not as large for Johnson, despite news of his signing coming out early. Still, some people seemed to really like the deal.
Bills are signing former Texans first-round cornerback Kevin Johnson, league source confirms. He visited them first before meeting with the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets. Panthers also had interest. He reunites with former Texans secondary coach John Butler
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 11, 2019
Aaron Williams is a Texans reporter for the Houston Chronicle. He brings up the few meetings Johnson already had, and the fact the Carolina Panthers were also calling. Another interesting nugget to this story is the Bills currently employ former Texans coach John Butler as their secondary coach.
After signing CB Kevin Johnson, RB Frank Gore, TE Tyler Kroft, and C Mitch Morse, the Bills addressed some major holes; but WR, RT, and DL still need attention. Who’s next with plenty of cap room left? #BillsMafia #Bills
— CircleTheWagons (@CTheWagons) March 12, 2019
This is true. This was one of a series of moves by the Bills today. None of the moves really broke headlines, except for the head-scratching signing of Frank Gore. This fills a need, but might not put many butts in the seats. However, if it can lead to an elite secondary, that’s all they care about.
With the seemingly ageless Tom Brady still in the division, and Sam Darnold coming into his own, an elite secondary is a must to compete in the AFC East.
Buffalo Bills. KEVIN JOHNSON. C+. . CB
This move is fine. That’s all it really is, but there were other players on the market with less risk involved. Johnson’s concussion issues, tied to an overall bad season for him in 2017, leaves the Bills with some questions.
If he gets another concussion, that could be it for his career. It’s hard to judge this signing without knowing what it costs, but just putting their eggs in the Johnson basketball is a slightly above average move. That leaves them with a C+ grade.
This move does have the chance to work out amazingly. The Bills get a former first-round pick who’s still very young and still well into his prime. If he can come in, gain some confidence in this secondary, and stay on the field, this could be an A-level signing. However, knowing the history, we stick with what we gave him.