The Houston Texans are parting ways with veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson after dealing with “friction involving him behind the scenes,” Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston Texans reports.
According to Wilson’s report, the issues that arose with Gardner-Johnson were “criticism of teammates in the secondary, including the size of one player’s contract, complaints about his role, including a desire to blitz more frequently, and a trade request along with him making frequent comparisons to what he was accustomed to with the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl championship squad.”
On the field, Gardner-Jonson also had a tendency to allow game-changing plays, including a touchdown allowed against the Los Angeles Rams tight end Davis Allen in the season-opening loss.
“When you see a big play that happens on our defense, somewhere along the lines, there’s a bust in communication,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Monday without naming names. “It all starts with communication and it hasn’t been as crisp as it needs to be. So, we have to play better on the defensive side.
Houston acquired Gardner-Johnson in a March trade with the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for guard Kenyon Green and a late-round 2026 pick swap.
The move comes as a surprise after CJGJ started the first three games for the 0-3 Texans.
