Johnson carves out role on D-line

Second-year player earns job in rotation in loaded DL group

- MARK LUDWICZAK

Ever since he arrived in Buffalo, Darryl Johnson hasn’t taken his landing spot for granted. As a young, developing pass rusher, Johnson has had the opportunity to learn from one of the deepest and most experienced defensive end groups in the league.

“I try to soak everything up from those guys and I stay in their back pocket — always,” Johnson said. “I try to use a little bit of what Jerry (Hughes) uses, a little bit of what Mario (Addison) uses and kind of use it in my own way.”

That attention to detail and willingness to learn has paid off. The second-year pro held off a spirited challenge from Bryan Cox Jr. at training camp in order to keep his spot on the roster for a second year in a row. And once Week 1 came around, it was Johnson — and not second-round pick A.J. Epenesa, who was a surprise on the inactive list — who was right in the mix as part of Buffalo’s heavy defensive line rotation. Johnson played in 30 percent of the team’s snaps on defense while also contributing on special teams (14 snaps, or 54 percent).

“Darryl has done a good job,” Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said. “He did a good job in the game also. ... First game, no preseason, we felt Darryl Johnson might be a better option at this point.”

At 6-foot-6, 253 pounds, Johnson has always had tantalizing physical tools to go along with an NFL-ready frame. It’s just been a matter of harnessing, refining and developing that talent.