The Las Vegas Raiders strayed from their offseason trend of adding young pieces when they made a surprise trade for veteran nickel Taron Johnson, a longtime starter in the Buffalo Bills' secondary. And his arrival in Las Vegas was a bit rocky at first, as he sat out much of the offseason program.
But Johnson returned in time for OTAs, which massively benefited a very young Raiders secondary. However, it became clear rather quickly that Johnson may not be employed quite the same way in Las Vegas that he was in Buffalo, as The Athletic's Sam Warren noticed in early June.
At first, Johnson, who is a slot corner by trade, working with the safety group felt like a sign that new DC Rob Leonard saw the nickel and safety spots as somewhat interchangeable, or at least quite similar or blended in terms of their roles and responsibilities on the field.
During training camp, however, it has become clear that the Raiders plan on utilizing Johnson as a hybrid safety and nickel defender. For a player with just 67 career snaps at safety in eight seasons, this will be an adjustment. But he's playing well, proving that you can teach an old dog new tricks.
Raiders are utilizing Taron Johnson as both a safety and nickel at camp
ESPN's Ryan McFadden made it clear with his reporting from camp that Johnson will be playing both spots, which is even a step further than Las Vegas seeing those positions as interchangeable. It means that the roles are still distinctly different, but Johnson will be asked to take on each of them.
"#Raiders are hoping to use Taron Johnson and nickel and safety this season," McFadden noted. "Johnson has 67 career snaps at safety, per TruMedia, which is why he has been getting a ton of reps at that position during practice. He was also working with the safeties during individual drills."
Wouldn't it make sense to just play Johnson where he has thrived for so long and put in the pieces around him? Not necessarily. It sounds like the veteran defensive back is adjusting well to his new responsibilities, as Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer noted that he is enjoying a "solid offseason."
That fully materialized earlier this week, as Johnson recorded the first interception of camp. Kirk Cousins was targeting Tre Tucker, and boundary corner Darien Porter broke up the pass, which landed in Johnson's hands. Right place, right time.
Wherever he ultimately lines up the most, Raider Nation just hopes that Johnson can have an impact, as the secondary has struggled in recent years. Raiders.com's Levi Edwards made mention of Johnson's versatility helping out the young defensive back group, which matters in a handful of ways.
Not only does his experience and know-how benefit these rookies and second-year players from the standpoint of them listening to his advice and watching him handle business, but if he can slide around the secondary, then it allows others to play where they are most comfortable.
Edwards also explained Johnson's expanding role more in-depth in his training camp notebook.
"After catching the first interception of training camp Friday, the cornerback was seen exclusively working with the safety room during individual drills. As for where he's lined up on the field, the question should really be where isn't he on the field.
"I briefly touched on his versatility before, but it's becoming more evident as the team prepares for padded practices. He's embracing the "STAR" role, a multi-faceted role that functions as a nickel cornerback, single-high deep safety or even linebacker depending on the sub package. Defensive coordinator Rob Leonard has been open about his desire to field a multiple defense, and Johnson is the perfect example of trying to bring it to life."
Now, the Raiders aren't just completely turning a new leaf with Johnson. He is still working with the nickel defenders at camp in some situations. But Johnson is going to be more of a chess piece than he ever has been in his NFL career in Leonard's defense. And he's already showing he's capable of it.
Who said a leopard never changes its spots?
Add us as a preferred source on Google