Bills HC praises two young DBs for stepping up in All-Pro's absence

Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott has some stellar remarks about the efforts of Cam Lewis and Ja'Marcus Ingram in the place of All-Pro CB Taron Johnson.

Connor Allen | Sep 11, 2024

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The Buffalo Bills may have won their Week 1 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals in a 34-28 come-from-behind thriller, but that victory did not come without a cost.

Not only did Josh Allen injure his non-throwing hand late in the game, but the Bills lost superstar nickel cornerback Taron Johnson on their first defensive series. The reigning second-team All-Pro went down after just seven snaps on a 70-yard drive that ultimately resulted in a Cardinals score; the defender was ruled out at halftime. There hasn't been any subsequent word about the severity of the ailment, but Johnson has already been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Miami Dolphins, and the team has not ruled out the possibility of placing him on injured reserve.

Johnson's absence forced defensive backs Cam Lewis and Ja'Marcus Ingram to take the workload, with both performing generally well in his place. Notably, at the end of the game, Ingram was responsible for the pass breakup on Kyler Murray's throw to wide receiver Greg Dortch, which would have set the Cardinals up with a first-and-goal situation had he caught it.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott had high praise for both Lewis and Ingram's efforts in the defensive backfield, complimenting both during his Monday media availability.

"I thought Cam really did a great job, another guy that stepped into a role that he was not in to begin with, the starting role there," McDermott said. "Ja’Marcus [Ingram], as I mentioned after the game, I thought did a great job. Cam Lewis did a great job. There’s several others that did the same thing. Really impressed with how hard the guys prepared during the week, and then they stepped in when they were called.”

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Lewis carried the bulk of the load after Johnson went down, taking 29 snaps in the slot and 21 in the box, per PFF, while tallying nine total tackles on the day. He also notched four defensive stops, including a crucial one against Arizona running back James Conner late in the game. Comparing that to Ingram, he spent 10 snaps in the slot and one in the box, recording the aforementioned pivotal pass breakup at the end of the clash to seal the Buffalo victory.

Both Lewis and Ingram will tested again on Thursday night when the Bills travel to Miami to take on the Dolphins and their speedy receiving corps headlined by Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. It should be a fun matchup, and both young defenders will be players to watch not only on Thursday night, but throughout the duration of Johnson's injury. It will be interesting to see how Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich utilizes both Lewis and Ingram differently depending on the style of offense they're facing week to week.

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