The #Bills are releasing long-time veteran CB Taron Johnson

[13 Seconds to Mars]

45 minutes ago, R.O. said:

 

Taron Johnson had the biggest defensive play that i’ve personally witnessed in my Bills history. In a low scoring physical game, that pick 6 sealed the game. 

 

I really liked the idea of him at Safety. Hopefully he comes back. 

Edited March 6 by ChronicAndKnuckles

[Alphadawg7]

Love Taron, but this move was not a surprise, too many missed games and decline in play just didn't match his salary and our cap situation.  That being said, it would not surprise me to see him come back on a cheaper deal to compete at Safety as they already publicly mentioned possibly trying him at Safety.  But, I suspect on his name alone he will get some interest at NCB, so my guess is he probably doesn't come back.

Edited March 6 by Alphadawg7

[Coach Tuesday]

Just now, Alphadawg7 said:

Love Taron, but this move was not a surprise.  That being said, it would not surprise me to see him come back on a cheaper deal to compete at Safety as they already publicly mentioned possibly trying him at Safety.  But, I suspect on his name alone he will get some interest at NCB, so my guess is he probably doesn't come back.

Folks may be underestimating his market.

[Simon]

 

Thank you Taron for your courage, class and intelligence both on and off the field.

You were absolutely an all-time Buffalo Bill and will always be remembered with love and respect by this fanbase.

Best wishes going forward and I know I'm not the only one who'd like to see you back here in some capacity at some point. 🤙

[Kirby Jackson]

This move to me signals a “change” as much as anything that we’ve seen so far. The Samuel release was obvious. The Brown restructure was obvious. When Josh restructures it’ll be obvious. Even the DJ Moore trade wasn’t some big surprise. The Bills have been awful at WR and have been trying to acquire a top talent for a while. That wasn’t a shift in philosophy, it was just the right timing.

 

The Taron move feels a little like a page turning. They didn’t HAVE to release him. The same thing could happen with Knox. This move feels more like, “we need change and not just tweaking.” I don’t want to read too much into it because it’s not shocking but this is the kind of guy that the Bills typically haven’t walked away from. 

[sven233]

Heck of a player and a heck of a run. Played his heart out for this team for the last 8 seasons. But, declining play and a completely new defensive scheme and direction that will require different types of players ends his run here as a Buffalo Bill. But this man is responsible for one of the biggest plays in Bills history and nobody can ever take that away from him and he'll be a player remembered here forever because of it. Thanks for your contributions and good luck in the future!

[Mark Vader]

52 minutes ago, strive_for_five_guy said:

One of the most exciting and clutch plays in Buffalo Bills history:

 

 

 

Imagine if the stadium had been a sellout crowd on that play.

[Kelly No huddle]

5 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

This move to me signals a “change” as much as anything that we’ve seen so far. The Samuel release was obvious. The Brown restructure was obvious. When Josh restructures it’ll be obvious. Even the DJ Moore trade wasn’t some big surprise. The Bills have been awful at WR and have been trying to acquire a top talent for a while. That wasn’t a shift in philosophy, it was just the right timing.

 

The Taron move feels a little like a page turning. They didn’t HAVE to release him. The same thing could happen with Knox. This move feels more like, “we need change and not just tweaking.” I don’t want to read too much into it because it’s not shocking but this is the kind of guy that the Bills typically haven’t walked away from. 

 

We have needed a serious youth movement on defense for a couple yrs.

 

Similar to what KC did in 2022

 

It's the perfect year to do it because most of the talent is on the defensive side of the ball in this draft

Edited March 6 by Kelly to Allen

[Bruffalo]

Great player but had some weird down games throughout his career. 

 

I think this move makes a lot of sense though, nickel isn't going to be as important for Leonhard's defense. I expect a lot more of 3 LBs on the field.

[Alphadawg7]

11 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

Folks may be underestimating his market.

 

Yeah I think he will find a market that leads him elsewhere.  Just meant it wouldn't surprise me in the event he doesn't that he did come back to compete at safety.  But as I mentioned before, I expect he will have a market and wont be back.

[Kelly No huddle]

44 minutes ago, SCBills said:

Welp.. that evaluation went quickly. 
 

Maybe they did right by him, knowing there’s a slim chance he is capable of doing what they’d ask of him and want to make sure he’s able to latch on somewhere else. 

 

To be honest I don't think they ever really truly considered putting him at safety 

 

 

I think it was just saying the normal coach speak out of respect for his career

[MJS]

51 minutes ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

I would argue that Taron was the most critical part of the McD defense. When he started getting injured and slowing, the D fell apart. 

That was certainly part of it. The entire secondary with Tre White, Micah Hyde, and Jordan Poyer were just great at working in tandem. The way they dropped into coverage and used leverage, disguised things, etc. was high level. Once they all aged out, we couldn't really reproduce that with other players.

[Kelly No huddle]

His 2020-2023 seasons, you could argue he was the best nickel cb in the NFL 

[wnyguy]

He was one of my favorite players, always seemed to make a big play when we needed it.

[Kirby Jackson]

6 minutes ago, Kelly to Allen said:

 

We have needed a serious youth movement on defense for a couple yrs.

 

Similar to what KC did in 2022

 

It's the perfect year to do it because most of the talent is on the defensive side of the ball in this draft

Add in the coaching change, new stadium and new DC and the timing makes a ton of sense. It will be found money for the Bills if guys like Landon Jackson, Dwayne Carter and TJ Sanders can play. That would really jumpstart this soft rebuild. 

[Mikey152]

1 minute ago, Kirby Jackson said:

Add in the coaching change, new stadium and new DC and the timing makes a ton of sense. It will be found money for the Bills if guys like Landon Jackson, Dwayne Carter and TJ Sanders can play. That would really jumpstart this soft rebuild. 

And it's not exactly out of the realm of possibility, either. Even guys like Hancock and Williams who have some pretty elite physical traits get a chance in a new scheme to make a bigger impact.

 

 

[MrEpsYtown]

2 minutes ago, Mikey152 said:

And it's not exactly out of the realm of possibility, either. Even guys like Hancock and Williams who have some pretty elite physical traits get a chance in a new scheme to make a bigger impact.

 

 

 

6 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

Add in the coaching change, new stadium and new DC and the timing makes a ton of sense. It will be found money for the Bills if guys like Landon Jackson, Dwayne Carter and TJ Sanders can play. That would really jumpstart this soft rebuild. 

 

People are going to have to buckle up for a ton of change on that side of the ball. 

[HappyDays]

So far so good. The moves they've made are an indication that it wasn't just talk, they are actually making sweeping changes to how this organization is run. Beane crossed his normal line to add a legit WR and now is cutting a great locker room presence who just doesn't have it physically anymore. These are difficult changes but necessary. Very happy with what I've seen so far.

[dave mcbride]

3 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

So far so good. The moves they've made are an indication that it wasn't just talk, they are actually making sweeping changes to how this organization is run. Beane crossed his normal line to add a legit WR and now is cutting a great locker room presence who just doesn't have it physically anymore. These are difficult changes but necessary. Very happy with what I've seen so far.

Has anyone pointed out that in his only two offseason trades for WRs, both of the players Beane traded for went to Maryland?

[colin]

they are cleansing the building of all the remnants of mcclap

 

TJ was great for us until like 2023, but he's been regularly lost in coverage since.  if he was 230 pounds he'd have been a hall of fame off ball linebacker, and he actually played like that at times, but physics is a harsh mistress and it kinda broke him.