By Douglas Fritz
Copyright clutchpoints
The Houston Texans parted ways with safety CJ Gardner-Johnson, not long after Baker Mayfield trolled him. And here are three teams who should sign him after the Texans’ surprise release.
The Texans decided they were done with Gardner-Johnson, who had reportedly been perceived as a locker-room problem. Ryans said he made the choice, according to houstonchronicle.com.
“It was my decision to move on,” Ryans said. “I know what’s best for my team. Coming from me, the head coach, it was the best for our team. That’s why I made the decision.”
Let’s take a look at who should pursue Gardner-Johnson.
Dallas Cowboys
It’s one of the worst defenses in the league right now. And Gardner-Johnson could give the Cowboys an improvement to a porous secondary. Maybe his attitude might actually help the Cowboys get a little more teeth in their defense, according to Sports Illustrated.
“Gardner-Johnson brings passion and a hard-nosed attitude that the Cowboys could desperately use,” Josh Sanchez wrote. “After their struggles to start the season, Dallas’ secondary lacks confidence, and that is something you will never have to worry about with Gardner-Johnson.”
It also makes sense because Gardner-Johnson would be familiar with the NFC East because of his time with the Eagles. The seven-year veteran spent his first three seasons with the Saints before playing for the Eagles (2022), Lions (2023), and Eagles again last year, where he helped the team win the Super Bowl.
Also, last year, Johnson finished 11th in the Associated Press comeback player of the year voting.
New York Jets
It makes sense that head coach Aaron Glenn would at least kick the tires on Gardner-Johnson. The Jets have averaged giving up 31 points per game over the first three weeks. That ranks No. 28 in the NFL. Any help on the back end would make sense.
Glenn coached Gardner-Johnson for a brief time with the Lions in 2023. Gardner-Johnson appeared in only three games because of injury.
However, part of the problem with Gardner-Johnson is that he doesn’t seem to endear himself to any franchise. He has been a nomad, according to NFL.com.
“Heralded for his physical play, Gardner-Johnson’s boisterous nature has led him to become a nomad,” Kevin Patra wrote. “The trash-talker didn’t make it out of September before Houston moved on. It’s unclear what the impetus is behind the early season release.”
Could Glenn know enough about Gardner-Johnson to make him a fit in New York?
Apparently, Gardner-Johnson hasn’t been a team-first guy, according to NFL.com.
“It’s always my first rule or a team rule for our guys, always protect the team,” Ryans said. “It starts with me as a head coach to making sure everybody is on the same page with having a team-first mentality. It’ll never be about one person. It’ll never be about me personally. It’s collectively as a team, that’s how you go win. That’s how you do great things.
“I know where we stand, and I know what everybody here in our organization, on our team, in the locker room, I know what everybody stands for. I know what everyone is about. So, everyone’s looking at me to make the right decision. I’ll always do that for my players.”
Buffalo Bills
Maybe this is the type of gritty player who can help the Bills get over the top in the postseason. There’s a reason he would fit in terms of need, according to Sports Illustrated.
“He plays a position that’s currently a weakness in Buffalo, and is versatile enough to move all around the secondary,” Randy Gurzi wrote. “In addition to his talent in coverage, Gardner-Johnson is a weapon when blitzing from the slot.”
However, the Bills may not want to risk disrupting the chemistry that has them as one of the top picks to win the Super Bowl in 2025.
