Elite Bills DB Taron Johnson Could Wreak Havoc on Steelers Offense

PITTSBURGH — The Bills defense is playing its best football coming into their clash against the Steelers. Over the last five weeks, that unit has gone up against the top-scoring offense in football twice in the Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys and held them to 10 and 14 points, respectively. That’s impressive. Sean McDermot has this group playing at a high level.

There are not many superstars on this defense, aside from Ed Oliver. But Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer are playing at a high level. Rasul Douglas has added some consistency to the cornerback room. And they have a nice rotation of defensive linemen to complement Oliver. But when I asked about the defense this week, everyone came up with the same guy- Taron Johnson.

The Bills play out of nickel more than anything else. There’s a reason for that, especially without star linebacker Matt Milano. Johnson is like a linebacker who is fearless and has excellent blitz timing. He takes on blocks from guys much bigger than him without fear, and not only can Johnson act as another linebacker in the run fit, but his coverage skills have only grown over the years.

“But the times I’ve been here and played against them they’ve always been big into the nickel because they have the secondary thatcan do it,” Steelers offensive coordinator Eddie Faulkner said. “Number 7 (Taron Johnson) is a really good –probably the best nickel we played against. Those safeties are all interchangeable and versatile; they are really good players. I don’t think they lose a lot by taking–you know, I guess I should say I don’t think they gain a lot by taking 7 off the field and putting a linebacker in there, because 7 can do a lot of same things that any of those guys can do. They’re just as formidable being in nickel 4-2 personnel than if they would be if they had three linebackers in the game.”

The best nickel cornerback they have played all season? That’s high praise when you look through the guys the Steelers have played. The team has seen their fair share of great nickels, from Mike Hilton to Kenny Moore to Devon Witherspoon to even a big slot like Kyle Hamilton.

Without even mentioning his name, both Pat Freiermuth and Allen Robinson II compared Johnson to Mike Hilton. And I completely understand why the Steelers consider Johnson a fantastic player. And with the Steelers trying to pop out to the perimeter often with some of their runs, Johnson presents a problem.

Steelers WR Gunner Olszewski works against Bills DB Taron Johnson, Aug. 19, 2023 – Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

“You know, they have a great slot in Johnson,” Freiermuth said. “He functions like Mike Hilton in a lot of ways. He’s really physical and gets his face into the mud. He’s a big weapon for us to contend with. He’s a guy who can destroy a run by himself with his play in the box.”

The tight ends and wide receivers need to be on their toes with Johnson around. Can the team take away some lessons from facing Hilton, Witherspoon, and Arthur Maulet in three straight weeks? Sure, they can, but none of those guys bring the blend of physicality and coverage ability that Johnson does.

Robinson is concerned about him, too. There are lessons to be learned and tendencies that the Bills have with him that the team can look to exploit, but Johnson will be a problem in the slot, even as the team tries to weapons around and hit runs away from him in the run fit.

“They have Johnson’s support in the run game, which is huge,” Robinson said. “You see him across the tape and across the board, he’s one of those nickels that gets into the run game, similar to Mike Hilton. This is a guy who creates havoc in the run game and plays with an edge. He can wreck your gameplan.”

The Steelers need to compartmentalize the tape from previous weeks to deal with Johnson, Robinson says. It’s not going to be easy for Johnson, either, though. Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris are first and second in attempts per broken tackle, respectively. Both players have proven to be extremely elusive in the open field, and if they meet in the hole, it is strength versus strength.

But Johnson is one of the key players who could destroy the Steelers’ run game if they let him. Their plan to minimize his impact on the game will be a massive factor in the team’s ground success.