ORCHARD PARK - There is a natural inclination to look at the change at nickel cornerback for the Buffalo Bills as a one-for-one swap - Taron Johnson is out, Dee Alford is in.
But that’s not the case because the role that Alford will be playing as the nickel corner in Jim Leonhard’s defense is vastly different than how Johnson was deployed in Sean McDermott’s defense.
“He was more like a linebacker guy, he was in a lot of different run fits, basically was the third ‘backer on the field,” Alford said following practice the other day. “For me, it's more like I’m a cover guy, I’m more like a true cornerback so I’m in situations where I don't really have to be in the run fit as much. I can fit where it needs it and just being a ballplayer, but obviously
I’m going to be doing a lot of covering. That's what they brought me here to do and that's what I want to do.”
Johnson’s snap counts during his days with Buffalo were always among the highest on the team and if not for games missed because of injury, he would have routinely finished above 90% every season. McDermott lived in the 4-2-5 scheme with Johnson in the slot, as Alford said, playing a hybrid nickel corner/third linebacker role.
In his four seasons with the Falcons, Alford’s highest snap percentage was 69% in 2024, and while the bulk of that came in the slot, he also pushed out wide on occasion, something Johnson was never asked to do in Buffalo.
“Big picture scheme, we do some unique things from a motion-adjustment standpoint, and communication at that nickel position is crucial,” Leonhard said. “With this league, versatility of the tight ends and so many receivers that now will go into the slot, you need a starter in there.
“In my opinion, Dee did a great job in Atlanta, did some similar things schematically to what we're asking. He's also shown the ability to play outside at a high level, so he was a pretty big target for us early - obviously he was our first signing in free agency, so it was really exciting to get him in the building.”
Jim Leonhard's defense demands a different nickel corner
Leonhard has explained that the nickel spot will be interchangeable. Alford will probably be on the field if the opposing offense comes out with three wide receivers, but if they go with two tight ends, he could come off the field and a bigger-bodied player might replace him. Maybe that’s a linebacker, or maybe a safety who comes down into the box.
“We're going to get to a lot of different packages where we can put different people in there playing slot and not solely put it on one person, whether that's another corner, or whether that's a safety at times,” Leonhard said. “I love the depth that we're starting to build at both positions to really use the versatility of that group to kind of mix and match pieces to give offenses a problem.”
Alford grew up in Griffin, Georgia, a town about an hour south of Atlanta, so he was thrilled to play his first four NFL seasons with the nearby Falcons. However, when he hit the free agent market last winter the Bills made him a priority signing, he liked what he heard regarding his role but also the culture that was being established under Leonhard and head coach Joe Brady, and he gladly came north.
Dee Alford found an easy fit in Buffalo
“I came right in and just fit right into the Bills’ culture and what they've built here years ago,” said Alford who picked off Josh Allen in the blue and red practice Saturday, and did it again Tuesday, making a beautiful read to jump a route and intercept the star quarterback. “Just the winning mentality, the brotherhood, and everything that comes with it. I feel like I was able to fit right in and I'm just continuing to grow and just enjoying myself.”
Alford made it a point to get all the phone numbers of his defensive teammates and he began calling as soon as he signed to introduce himself.
“At first I thought it was going to be harder than it really was,” he said of changing teams. “But as soon as I signed with these guys, I reached out to everyone on the defensive side so my first day in the building, it felt like I've been here for years. And I feel like we got that connection on the field as well.
“Just the type of person I am, I get along with everyone. I contacted guys like Max Hairston, (Christian) Benford, Cole Bishop who's also from around my way in Georgia, so it was like I was just able to come right in and be a leader and just fit right into the Bills culture.”
Interestingly, another Georgian, Buffalo’s 2025 fifth-round draft pick Jordan Hancock, is someone Alford knew a little before he arrived, and now they are battling for the starting nickel job.
“We actually knew each other, I want to say through a trainer in Georgia named Oliver Davis,” Alford said. “A lot of top DBs in the league, top college guys, they go train with him. My first workout with him, I ran into Jordan Hancock. So he already knew of me, we were training together before we were teammates. And so now it's just crazy being on the same team playing the same position as well.”
Alford knows there will be inevitable comparisons to Johnson who was never a spectacular player, but almost always a very good one who earned second-team All-Pro recognition in 2023.
“Shout out to Taron as well, he was a top nickel guy in the league, one of the guys whose film I watched a lot,” Alford said. “At one point, he was the highest-paid nickel so a lot of guys know him. He solidified himself in the league and he's a great player. But I wouldn't necessarily say we're replacing him because he did a lot of great things here for the amount of years he'd been here.”
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for more than four decades including 37 years as the full-time beat writer/columnist for the D&C. He has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: The Bills changed more than a name at one key defensive position
