Former New Orleans Saints safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was in the midst of his first training camp with the Houston Texans, but he may not make to the regular season after team had to bring the cart out for him at Thursday’s practice.
KPRC2's Aaron Wilson reported the injury happened as the safety was attempting a tackle on wide receiver John Metchie. Wilson described the injury as looking "serious." While Gardner-Johnson was down, the field was completely silent, and everyone was on a knee.
Saying things aren't looking up is an understatement. DeMeco Ryans didn't have an update at the moment, so we're in wait and see mode.
Injuries have plagued C.J. Gardner-Johnson since leaving the Saints
The only game Gardner-Johnson missed in his first two years in the NFL was due to COVID-19. He went to injured reserve for four weeks during the 2021 campaign for a foot injury. He bounced back and closed out the year, but that was he beginning of what has been continuous misfortune for the safety.
Gardner-Johnson went to Philadelphia the following season and led the NFL in interceptions. It was a great season, but had a cap put on it due to a lacerated kidney. The injury kept him out for five games. Though it was still a strong year in his transition to safety, five games away is enough to make you wonder what could have been.
After leaving Philadelphia for Detroit, a torn pec in the second game of the season kept Gardner-Johnson on the shelf until the season finale. Instead of just costing him part of the year, this injury stole nearly the whole year from him.
It looked like the safety was finally getting on the right track. He didn't miss a single game in 2024 and got a Super Bowl ring. Unfortunately, all signs point to this possibly being the most devastating injury yet.
The injuries have been all over, but a knee injury scares you because of the ligaments in that area of the body. We'll wait on an update, but right now things look bleak.