BUFFALO, NY. (WKBW) — Coming into this season there’s a lot of hype surrounding the Buffalo Bills defensive backs and rightfully so.
You have nickelback Taron Johnson coming off a 2nd team All-Pro season in 2023. He didn’t spend a lot of this offseason away from the field because he knows what it’ll take to elevate his game even further.
“Just making sure we’re keeping that chemistry up. We’re going to have guys meeting throughout the season so we had to make sure we were doing that during the offseason," Johnson told reporters at the end of minicamp. "So if we can keep that up I think that’ll help us heading into training camp.
Then at cornerback, you’ll see the first full season in a Bills uniform for Rasul Douglas and year three for Christian Benford.
The two have shown flashes of being a top-five duo in the league when they're healthy and both on the field. Douglas told us during mandatory minicamp that has a lot to do with the relationship they’ve been able to build in just a short time.
“Me and CB (Christian Benford) even the whole offseason we call each other every other day. That’s my guy. I like the way he comes to work every day. He plays hard and works hard and he’ll talk to you and let you know his perspective on what he sees," Douglas said. "We kind of just bounce ideas off each other.”
Behind the likely starters on the depth chart, you’ll find plenty of pieces that round out that room. But none of them present a better case to work their way into a starting role than third-year corner Kaiir Elam.
“I think his mindset is where it needs to be. Coach (Joe) Dana and them are doing a good job of helping him hone in on the little things that we know he needs to improve," defensive coordinator Bobby Babich says of Elam.
“The growth is everywhere. He’s understanding the plays more and you see his technique getting better in a lot of different areas. It’s just special to see," added Johnson.
His teammates and coaches see the strides Elam is making to live up to those first-round draft pick expectations. There’s perhaps no one who had a better minicamp than Elam, who continually made splash play after splash play.
But getting that high level of play to be consistent when it counts is what #5 is focused on.
“I just want to be a guy that my teammates can count on for me to be out there and doing my job," Elam told reporters at minicamp. "I really believe I can take the ball away at a high level so just continuing to work on what’s going to get me there."
High expectations and high potential make the Bills defensive back room one to keep your eyes on when training camp kicks off at St. John Fisher University on July 24.
