Austin Johnson joins Buffalo Bills thanks to ‘greatest recruiter’ (5 things to know).
The Buffalo Bills added Austin Johnson to their roster on Saturday, signing him to a one-year deal. The defensive tackle joins the Bills after previous stops with the Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, and Los Angeles Chargers. Johnson measures 6-feet-4-inches tall and weighs approximately 315 pounds, making him a viable option to play at 1-tech behind DaQuan Jones, whom he knows well.
Here’s everything Bills fans should know about Johnson now that he’s joined the team. I didn’t really appreciate football until high school. DaQuan Jones was recruited to play football by one of his father’s buddies. Johnson was a swimmer at the time, but decided to try football. Johnson admitted that he did not appreciate football at first. “The first two years I played it, I hated it,” Johnson stated in a Tennessee Titans promotional video. “Then I got to high school and that’s when I fell in love with it.”
Johnson also stated that one specific play made him fall in love with the game. “I remember the play my sophomore year and I was starting,” Johnson told ESPN. “I’m on the opposite side of the ball, and the quarterback is going out and scrambling. And I’m just rushing across the pitch, and I strike him and go out of bounds, and everyone cheers. And I’m thinking, “I can get used to this.”
Reunited with DaQuan Jones for the third time. In the same video with the Titans, Johnson mentioned DaQuan Jones as one of the players he most admired. Johnson played one season alongside Jones at Penn State and several seasons with the Titans. This will be their third term together, and Jones recruited him to Buffalo, which is one of the main reasons they’re back together. In his Instagram story, Johnson thanked Jones for convincing him to join the Bills. “And yes, DaQuan Jones is the best recruiter out,” Johnson wrote. Former second-round pick.
Johnson’s output grew with each season at Penn State. In his first two seasons with the Nittany Lions, the defensive tackle had nine tackles for loss, followed by 15 in his last season. He also recorded a career-high 6.5 sacks that season. Johnson’s performance earned him a second-round selection in the 2016 NFL Draft (No. 43 overall).
Wife played and coached football. Johnson was not the only one in his family who had played professional football. His wife, Danika, participated in the Legends Football League. She later became a head coach in the league. Via Chargers.com:
Danika Johnson, Johnson’s wife, played for the Legends Football League teams Seattle Mist and Las Vegas Sin. Following her playing career as a middle linebacker and tight end, she became the Nashville Knights’ head coach, making her the league’s first female head coach. Danika became a Hall of Fame inductee in 2019.
Adds plenty of experience to Bill’s DL. Johnson has appeared in 116 career games, earning 55 starts for the Titans, Giants, and Chargers. Johnson has started 42 games over the past three seasons. That number would have been higher if Johnson had not sustained a knee injury in 2022, which put him on injured reserve.