ORCHARD PARK - Sometimes you look at Cam Lewis and you wonder how in the world he has had a Buffalo Bills roster spot for what is now a fifth season.

The former University at Buffalo standout, who was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2020, is undersized at 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds and he really doesn’t have a set position to play, outside of his role on special teams, but through the years the Bills could have used so many other players to handle those duties.

But here’s the reason why Lewis is still with Buffalo, a player Brandon Beane decided to re-sign in free agency last March: When he gets his opportunities, he makes the most of them no matter what he’s asked to do, and Sunday, he was asked to do a whole lot.

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Taron Johnson injury puts Cam Lewis into spotlight

The Bills lost star nickel cornerback Taron Johnson on the seventh play of the game against the Cardinals, so Lewis was sent in to play one of the most important positions on the Bills’ defense. Remember, they operate in a base nickel, so Johnson is on the field for just about every play.

Once Johnson left with a forearm injury, now his sizable responsibilities fell to Lewis, and the result was nine tackles and pass coverage that helped limit Arizona’s Kyler Murray to 31 passing yards in the second half. He gave up five receptions on seven targets into his area according to Pro Football Focus, but those plays netted just 33 yards.

“You know at first, everything is moving kind of fast but it starts to slow down, you know, with time, with the reps and stuff like that,” Lewis said. “For Taron to go down, one, and then just be thrown in a game like that … I was in the game plan for another circumstance. But just trying to come in, just do my job, read my keys. At first, it kind of goes fast, you know, everything's kind of moving fast,. So really, what I'm trying to do, just trying to slow it down and then just read my keys.”

Lewis played 55 defensive snaps (90%) and he was also on the field for 10 special teams snaps so yeah, he was a player who slept well Sunday night.

When the day started, the Bills had planned to play some dime defense, meaning a third safety would be on the field, and that was going to be Lewis. They did this last year with Taylor Rapp as the third safety because the coaches didn’t trust linebacker Tyrel Dodson in passing situations.

This year, it seems as if the coaches don’t trust Dorian Williams, either, because even after Johnson went out, they still used the dime defense, though they had to ad-lib by using fourth cornerback JaMarcus Ingram as the third safety with Lewis needed at the nickel spot.

“We knew Cam was in a pivotal role playing the dime, starting dime and also being the primary backup at more than one position, and then he had to go in right way,” Sean McDermott said. “You don't always expect to be the first drive to get to your backup there. But he plays like a starter. Credit to him for being prepared.”

Cam Lewis stars in second half vs Cardinals

Lewis needed a little time to get rolling, but in the second half he was an impactful player.

“You got to be able to play whatever they need you to be in an emergency situation,” Lewis said. “I try my best. I just try to go out there and try to play my game and just try to help the team win. The other 10 guys on the field are doing their job and I have to do my job as well to make that play work.”

∎ On Arizona’s first series of the third quarter he made a nice tackle to hold James Conner to a two-yard gain and that helped lead to a three-and-out;

∎ On the next possession, he made a tackle on receiver Greg Dortch on first down, and on the next play, a second-and-7, the Cardinals decided to throw and Greg Rousseau sacked Murray and forced a fumble which Williams recovered, a play that turned the game in Buffalo’s favor;

∎ And on Arizona’s third series of the half, Lewis made three tackles including back-to-back second- and third-down stops on runs by Conner in the red zone which forced the Cardinals to kick a field goal.

“We were neither surprised nor satisfied,” Von Miller said of Lewis’ performance. “He does those type of things in practice, he did those type of things last year. He’s been great for us. Since I’ve been on the team, he’s made a lot of plays. He really embodies the mindset and the personality of this defense.

“When he came in, we already knew what was going to happen. We knew we wouldn’t have a fall off. Taron Johnson getting hurt, that’s a huge one. Best nickel in the league. Hope we get him back fast. Cam Lewis is more than ready to go though for sure.”

Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, and he has written numerous books about the history of the team. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana. https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Cam Lewis steps up for Buffalo Bills after Taron Johnson injury