ORCHARD PARK, NY. (WKBW) — School’s out for the summer — well at least for the Buffalo Bills until they report to training camp in late July.
General manager Brandon Beane’s message to the team; rest, relax, and recharge, but Taron Johnson has some other ideas.
“Maybe I’ll take a little time to recuperate, a little bit, but at the end of the day we’re focused on the season," Johnson told reporters on the last day of mandatory minicamp. "Might have a couple of guys with me so that’s all fine and dandy and I’m excited to get rolling and start the offseason process.”
Johnson will stick around Western New York for most of this time off to train and prepare to take on an even bigger role in this defense.
That kind of leadership is infectious and is a big reason why we’ve seen a guy like third-year cornerback Kaiir Elam flash some promise so far this offseason.
"He’s been a guy that anyone can lean on, not even myself, but even the rookies. They’re not afraid to ask him a question because Taron is going to be there and share his knowledge," Elam says.
“The growth is everywhere. He’s understanding the plays more, I can see his technique getting better in a lot of different areas so it’s just special to see," said Johnson. "We have great coaches who have helped all of us improve tremendously.”
With no Jordan Poyer and question marks surrounding Micah Hyde’s return to One Bills Drive, Taron has no other choice but to fill that void. But a recovering Matt Milano and another year of experience for Terrel Bernard will certainly make that a whole lot easier.
“It’s great to see Matt (Milano) out there because he’s been hurt for a while. We’re happy to have him back out there and me and TB (Terrel Bernard) played the whole season last season together," Taron adds. "I feel like our connection is going to get better and having Matt back out there is going to make us dangerous.”
The Bills will report to St. John Fisher University on July 23rd with training camp officially starting on July 24th.
