South Jersey High School Graduate Signing with the Bills

The average career length for a National Football League player is 3.3 years. So anyone who has played in the NFL for several years is an accomplishment that deserves recognition.

This is why the news of Austin Johnson signing with his next NFL team is an accomplishment worthy of recognition. Johnson is a graduate of Saint Augustine Prep High School in South Jersey who played College Football at Penn State University. The Defensive Lineman from Galloway, New Jersey was selected 43rd overall in the 2016 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans.

After playing 58 games with the Titans over the first four years of his professional football career, Johnson played the next two seasons with the New York Giants. The Saint Augustine Prep High School Graduate spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Thanks in part to Austin Johnson starting 42 games over the last three seasons, the Defensive Lineman from South Jersey is joining one of the best teams in the AFC. The person who originally broke the news on social media was his Penn State College Football teammate DaQuan Jones:

Even though the Buffalo Bills had the fourth-best Scoring Defense in the NFL last year, they were average at stopping Offensive Rush Attacks. The Bills Defense had nine regular season games in 2023 where they had 127 Rushing Yards or more against them along with allowing 182 Rush Yards in their postseason loss against the Kansas City Chiefs.

During the four seasons Austin Johnson and DaQuan Jones played together in Tennessee, the Titans had a top-ranked Rushing Defense in three of those years. The reunion of Penn State College Football Alumni in Buffalo should pay off for the Bills Defense next season.

Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

Johnson turns 30 years old before the start of the 2024 NFL season as he enters his ninth year in the league. Even though the South Jersey High School Graduate is not a Superstar in the NFL, he deserves a ton of credit for putting himself in a position to play a decade in the National Football League. His commitment to the hard work it takes to play in the NFL has paid off.

Here are some other players who graduated from South Jersey High Schools who have played in the NFL:

Check Out Greater Atlantic City, NJ Area Athletes Who Played Games In NFL

Many people are not aware of the number of athletes from the Greater Atlantic City Region who have played in the National Football League. Football players who played at high schools in Cape May, Atlantic, Cumberland, and Ocean Counties have a strong representation in the NFL over the last few decades.

One of the most difficult accomplishments in sports is to make a Professional Sports Roster and earn the opportunity to play in a game at the highest level of the sport. Check out some of the great South Jersey Athletes who have played in games in the NFL:

Gallery Credit: Joshua Hennig/Townsquare Media