Veteran defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson did not have a long tenure in the Motor City with the Detroit Lions. Lions fans were stoked that the team was adding a ballhawk in Gardner-Johnson, who had six interceptions with the Eagles in 2022.
However, Gardner-Johnson was limited to three games in Detroit due to a torn pectoral that placed him on injured reserve. The veteran defender did return in Week 18 and played in all three playoff contests, but it was clear this marriage wasn’t going to last.
Since leaving, Gardner-Johnson has won a Super Bowl and played for four different teams over the last two years. One would think that a player of Gardner-Johnson’s caliber would be able to stick somewhere on a long-term deal, but that hasn’t happened since he departed the New Orleans Saints.
That being said, the ex-Lions defensive has landed in a very promising spot with the Buffalo Bills in free agency.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson Has Chance to Compete for Starting Role with Bills
Gardner-Johnson surprisingly signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Bills in free agency after spending the last two months of the regular season with the Chicago Bears. The Lions are happy to see that he won’t be in Chicago anymore.
Gardner-Johnson made an immediate impact on the Bears’ defense, recording 66 combined tackles, six QB hits, five tackles for loss, four pass deflections, three sacks, two interceptions, and a forced fumble in 10 games (seven starts).
The former Lions defender enters a similar situation in Buffalo, where he likely won’t start at free safety as the Bills have Cole Bishop. However, Gardner-Johnson could start at strong safety over Geno Stone.
Stone was signed to a one-year, $1.4 million contract after spending the last two seasons as a full-timer with the Baltimore Ravens. Stone is a couple of years younger than Gardner-Johnson and has six interceptions over that time.
But, he’s allowed his share of receiving touchdowns (nine) and 41 missed tackles. If you compare that to Gardner-Johnson, he's given up 11 receiving touchdowns yet only has 16 missed tackles over two years.
Gardner-Johnson is joining a perennial playoff contender in Buffalo, which also has an MVP QB in Josh Allen. The Bills also landed a big WR fish with the trade for DJ Moore, which absolutely raises the ceiling for their offense, making them an even more promising contender.
With the Bears, the thought was that if Gardner-Johnson got re-signed and didn’t bring back Kevin Byard III or Jaquan Brisker, that would clear a path for him to start. The Bears thought otherwise, opting for Coby Bryant and Cameron Lewis.
Instead, Gardner-Johnson lands with the Bills, who obviously wanted him, and now he gets to prove himself all over again. If he can build off what he did last season, there’s no reason why the Bills wouldn’t re-sign him to a longer deal next offseason.