Defensive tackle Austin Johnson acclimating to Buffalo Bills

When the Buffalo Bills were having conversations with defensive tackle Austin Johnson during free agency, Jones made sure to speak with his former Penn State teammate.

“Yes, he’s a very good recruiter,” Johnson said last week at team activities. “I talked to him all the time – I was a free agent. We’re on the phone, just talking. It’s like we usually do, but yeah, he says, “That would be a really good opportunity.” Very good group. And I just want to win, and this is the place to be.

Johnson signed a one-year contract with the Bills in March. He began his career with the Tennessee Titans as a second-round draft pick. He spent four years there, before spending two years with the New York Giants and Los Angeles Chargers.

Johnson, 30, started all 17 games last season for the Chargers, totaling 46 tackles, two tackles for loss and two passes defended along the way. With that, he also played against the Bills last December. On the other side of the field, he could glean certain things about the opposing team.

“A cohesive team,” Johnson said. “So it’s a team that’s very difficult to say ‘No’ to, to not want to be a part of.”

Once he arrived in Buffalo, Johnson found even more things to enjoy.

“It’s been fun getting to know the guys,” Johnson said. “It’s very easy to integrate here. It’s a very cool group, very cool D-line, defense. It’s one of the very rare locker room feelings you get. So that’s pretty cool.

The Bills defensive line is a gregarious group. Defensive tackle Ed Oliver was one of the first voices to come out of the locker room. From there, many strong personalities exist.

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“You have 20 idiots in there, so that’s pretty cool.” It’s fun,” Johnson said. “I mean, when everyone is having fun and just being themselves, that’s how easy it is to adjust.”

And Johnson fit in well with these idiots.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott did not have the opportunity to meet Johnson during the player’s visit during his free agent tenure, but McDermott quickly got to know Johnson.

“He’s a fun guy to be around,” McDermott said at the start of the OTAs. “He likes to joke and, yet, he knows that, based on the position he holds, it gets serious very quickly, right? When you’re inside, especially in those scrum roles. So I enjoyed getting to know him and a certain sense of humor.

Johnson is expected to be the backup to his college teammate, Jones.

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“I think they have a very similar skill set,” general manager Brandon Beane said in March of Johnson and Jones. “They’re both going to start as one tech, I think even DaQuan, you’ve seen in our system improve his pass rush, and we think Austin can kind of follow that same trajectory.”

Johnson believes he can also have an impact on the bills.

“Anywhere, if I have the opportunity to pass, you get on the field and you pass. Playing the race, you know, having fun doing it,” he said. “I feel like everyone in the room can do anything. Everyone is really versatile in the room. So, I feel like it’s a good thing to have.

The defensive line room has also been helpful as Johnson gets acclimated.

“I’m just trying to learn defense, learn how people do things — play the run, pass run, all that kind of stuff,” Johnson said. “And it’s easy to learn, especially when you have connections with certain people. So it’s a very cool group, very easy to learn from everyone. Everyone speaks very loudly. Everyone is eager to learn. So, I like it.

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And the desire to learn led to a culture that first attracted Johnson to Buffalo.

“Just to be able to have a team that — like I said before — can win,” Johnson said. “The culture here is very high level, which is a good thing, a ton of wins. But being able to relate to people in different places and understand that pattern and all that kind of stuff more easily. But winning is definitely the top priority. That’s why I wanted to go somewhere where I can win and just be myself.