HENDERSON, Nev. -- While Maxx Crosby's trade to the Baltimore Ravens dominated headlines over the weekend, the Raiders were nowhere near being finished the day before and the day of free agency.
Sunday reports surfaced that the team acquired 29-year-old Taron Johnson and a 2026 seventh-round pick from the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick, and Monday, with free agency beginning, the names began coming in.
Highlighting the list were center Tyler Linderbaum and wide receiver Jalen Nailor, who starred at national powerhouse Bishop Gorman High School, just 30 minutes from the Raiders headquarters in Henderson.
Also reportedly on the list Monday were defensive end Kwity Paye, linebackers Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker and defensive end Malcolm Koonce.
The only player confirmed by the team was Eric Stokes, who will be back for his second season in Las Vegas after starting a career-high 16 games in his first season with the club and totaling 53 tackles (35 solo), three tackles for loss and five passes defensed.
Johnson was reportedly set to be released by Buffalo ahead of free agency, which begins Monday, but the move was not made official prior to the league transaction wire's release. Instead, the Bills found a last-minute trade partner in the rebuilding Raiders.
The cornerback is coming off a 2025 season that saw him compile 57 tackles (34 solo) and four passes defensed in 13 regular-season appearances.
Since arriving in Buffalo as a fourth-round pick in 2018, Johnson has been effective in a plug-and-play role, needing little to no adjustment when asked to step up for the annual AFC contender.
Johnson had a career year by playing in all 17 regular-season games in 2023, when the Bills finished 11-6 and won the AFC East.
Johnson will be expected to compete for a starting role in a secondary that was part of a passing defense that tied for the league's sixth-fewest interceptions (8).