Taron Johnson (born July 27, 1996) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

for the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Weber State Weber State University (pronounced ) is a public university in Ogden, Utah. It was founded in 1889 as Weber Stake Academy. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. History Weber State University was founded ...

. He played high school football at Sheldon High School in

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

Early years

Johnson played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

at Sheldon High School in

. He was pulled up to the school’s varsity squad as a sophomore, one year earlier than the standard, owing to his exceptional talent. He would go on to be the school’s first ever

NFL Draft The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...

pick.

College career

Coming out of high school,

was the only college that offered Johnson a football position, so he accepted it. Johnson started five games as a freshman at Weber State, and was a full-time starter thereafter. As a sophomore, he set a school record with 12 pass break-ups, and then tied the record the following season as a junior. As a senior in 2017, he totaled three interceptions, nine pass break-ups, and 49 tackles, earning the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year award and consensus First Time All-American honors.

Professional career

Johnson was selected by the

in the fourth round of the

2018 NFL Draft The 2018 NFL Draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; it was the first draft ...

with the 121st overall pick. On May 11, 2018, he signed his rookie contract. Against the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

in week 4, Johnson recorded his first career sack and forced fumble, taking down quarterback

Aaron Rodgers Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Rodgers began his college football career at Butte College in 2002 before transferring to the ...

with a strip-sack. Johnson recorded his first career interception the following week against the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

, picking off

Marcus Mariota Marcus Ardel Taulauniu Mariota (born October 30, 1993) is an American football quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted second overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2015 NFL Draft. Mariota play ...

in the 13–12 victory. He was placed on injured reserve on December 11, 2018 after undergoing shoulder surgery. Johnson is currently the Bills' starting nickel cornerback. Taron Johnson WFT at Buffalo Bills (cropped)

Taron Johnson WFT at Buffalo Bills (cropped)

In Week 14 against the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

on ''Sunday Night Football'', Johnson intercepted a pass thrown by

Ben Roethlisberger Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. (; born March 2, 1982), nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college footba ...

and returned it for a 51-yard touchdown during the 26–15 win. In the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

, Johnson intercepted a pass thrown by

Lamar Jackson Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr. (born January 7, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Louisville, where he won the Heisman Trophy during his soph ...

in the Bills' endzone and returned it for a 101-yard pick six during the 17–3 win. This return tied the longest in NFL playoff history with

George Teague George Theo Teague (born February 18, 1971) is a former American football safety in the National Football League (NFL) who played for the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins. He played college football at the University of Ala ...

. On October 9, 2021, Johnson signed a three-year, $24 million contract extension with the Bills.

References

External links

Buffalo Bills bioWeber State Wildcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Taron 1996 births Living people Players of American football from Sacramento, California American football cornerbacks Weber State Wildcats football players Buffalo Bills players