C.J.

Gardner-Johnson

Gardner-Johnson was carted off with a scary-looking injury that appeared to be near his Achilles. It looks as if he’s avoided the worst-case scenario, though we still wouldn’t be surprised if he missed a lot of time. The team should have further updates soon.

Gardner-Johnson appeared to suffer a non-contact lower leg injury. He went down on the practice field and grabbed at his leg near his Achilles. The 28-year-old safety couldn’t put any pressure on his right leg as he was helped off the field. Gardner-Johnson had a towel over his head as he was carted to the locker room. Buffalo lacks safety depth behind Gardner-Johnson as fifth-round rookie Jalon Kilgore could be next up if this injury indeed turns out to be significant.

Gardner-Johnson can make up to $6 million this year. The 28-year-old safety allowed a career-high 71.4 percent catch rate playing for both the Texans and Bears last season. He also forced four incompletions, intercepted two passes, recorded 51 solo tackles and notched three TFLs. He may help fill former Bills CB Taron Johnson’s vacated slot cornerback role. The Bills traded Johnson to the Raiders on Sunday.

Gardner-Johnson will reunite with Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who coached him in New Orleans from 2019 to 2021. The mercurial cornerback will join a Chicago defense that has allowed the NFL’s fourth highest drop back success rate and the second highest completion rate over expected this season. Look for Gardner-Johnson, who has 18 interceptions over 77 NFL games, to primarily play slot corner in Chicago.

The 27-year-old safety asked for his release after the Ravens traded for Alohi Gilman.

The Texans released Gardner-Johnson after Week 3 and much came out about him freelancing, blowing assignments, and complaining about his role. The Ravens defense is at a juncture where they’d probably take that if it came with some competent NFL-level play, too.

What was your favorite moment of the Gardner-Johnson era in Houston? He did play 96 percent of the snaps for the Texans in three weeks, so it’s a loss. NBC’s Aaron Wilson reports there was “friction behind the scenes” behind the release, with Gardner-Johnson “complaining about his role, wanting to blitz more, per league sources, and even communicating that he wanted to be traded.” M.J. Stewart will take over at safety for the Texans.

According to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, the Texans are converting $7.75 million of Gardner-Johnson’s base salary into a $6.58 million signing bonus that will free up just over $3.086 million in cap space. Gardner-Johnson is in the second year of a three-year deal he originally signed with the Eagles in 2024, but can be released with no dead cap hit if the team opts to move on from him at the end of this season.

Gardner-Johnson went down in early August with a knee injury that was expected to threaten his season, but Gardner-Johnson has been able to rehab it successfully and it thankfully was not as bad as it initially looked. Gardner-Johnson should have a decent role in Houston this year, though Jalen Pitre is probably the IDP Texans back-seven player you want to roster.

Per Schefter, “Gardner-Johnson’s knee injury isn’t as serious as it could have been.” This is astonishingly good news. Local and national reporters initially said that this was a season-ending ACL tear but Gardner-Johnson appears to be largely okay. He is expected to play a pivotal role in the Texans’ secondary whenever he retakes the field.