Carolina Panthers acquire Buffalo Bills' defensive end Darryl Johnson in trade

The Carolina Panthers made a move Monday to bolster its defensive front, as the team announced that they have acquired Darryl Johnson in a trade with the Buffalo Bills.

The Panthers dealt the Bills a 2022 sixth-round pick in exchange for Johnson, according to the team’s release.

Johnson, a third-year defensive end from Kingsland, Georgia, could also play a role for the Panthers’ special teams unit, the team said. A 6-foot-6, 262-pound defensive end, Henderson notched 14 tackles, including three tackles for loss and one sack in the 2020 season, playing in 15 games for the Bills. He has 30 career tackles through two seasons and two sacks.

Unranked by most outlets out of high school, Johnson committed to North Carolina A&T in 2015. He took a redshirt season in 2015, his freshman year, before playing in 12 games with no starts in 2016. His role continued to ramp up in 2017, as he started all 12 games and made 40 tackles, including 15.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He was fifth in the MEAC and 37th in the nation in tackles for loss, as well as third in the MEAC and 12th nationally in forced fumbles. Johnson’s 2018 campaign was his best, as he earned MEAC Defensive Player of the Year honors after notching 10.5 sacks.

Johnson finished his career at North Carolina A&T in 2018 and declared for the NFL Draft. He was selected in the seventh round, with the 225th overall selection by the Bills and made the 53-man roster in his rookie year.

Following the transaction, the Panthers roster has 72 players. Per NFL rules, the Panthers must cut their roster down to 53 by Tuesday, Aug. 31 at 4:00 p.m. ET. However, since cornerback A.J. Bouye was placed on reserve/suspended for the first two weeks, the Panthers will have to release 18 other players before the deadline.

The Panthers are likely to hold onto eight or nine other defensive lineman after Tuesday’s deadline; defensive ends Brian Burns, Morgan Fox, Yetur Gross-Matos, Marquis Haynes and Christian Miller and defensive tackles Derrick Brown, DaQuan Jones, Bravvion Roy and Daviyon Nixon are all expected to be retained after Tuesday. Assuming Johnson is also retained to the 53-man roster, he figures to contribute as a special teams player, with infrequent playing time on the defensive line.