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The Bills released veteran cornerback Taron Johnson, middle, on Friday as part of a flurry of roster moves.
Cornerback Taron Johnson and safety Taylor Rapp were released Friday by the Buffalo Bills, capping a busy day of transactions for the perennial AFC East contender.
Both transactions were announced by the team.
Those departures followed reports that Buffalo was moving on from wide receiver Curtis Samuel and cornerback Dane Jackson.
Bills Part Ways with Long-Tenured CB
As the Bills continue to shed salary and reshape their roster under new head coach Joe Brady, their secondary suddenly looks drastically different.
Johnson has spent his entire eight-year NFL career with Buffalo. Drafted in the fourth round in 2018, Johnson started 87 games for the Bills and became an All-Pro in 2023 when he recorded a career-high 98 tackles and three forced fumbles.
While Johnson failed to recapture that form this season, he remained a key contributor on defense. The 29-year-old appeared in 11 games and made 57 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and four passes defended. Pro Football Focus ranked him 66th out of 114 eligible cornerbacks.
His departure leaves a significant void in the Bills’ secondary heading into free agency, which opens next Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET.
Rapp Ended Season on IR with Knee Injury
Releasing the 28-year-old Rapp will free up approximately $3 million in cap space for Buffalo, according to WGR 550’s Sal Capaccio.
A punishing hitter, Rapp played 36 games in three seasons with Buffalo, recording 158 tackles (98 tackles), three tackles for loss, three interceptions and one forced fumble. However, he was limited to only six games this past season and finished the year on injured reserve due to a nagging knee injury that hampered his play from the outset.
Rapp struggled mightily after earning the starting job out of camp, grading 93rd out of 98 safeties, per PFF. He had 26 tackles and failed to record an interception for the first time in his seven-year career.
Rapp acknowledged his departure on Instagram, writing, “Thank you, Buffalo,” with two heart emojis.