It may have taken a little bit longer than he expected, but former Houston Texans safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson has finally found a new team.
Two weeks after the Texans made the surprise move by cutting him after their Week 3 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars due to some locker room issues and communication issues on the field, Gardner-Johnson was signed by the Baltimore Ravens to their practice squad.
“I’ve always liked the way [C.J. Gardner-Johnson] played,” said Ravens coach John Harbaugh. “He brings it. He’s a ‘bring it’ attitude guy. He’s a physical player, has a lot of juice and a lot of energy.”
Houston shared the same mindset when they traded for Gardner-Johnson, sending former first-round pick and offensive lineman Kenyon Green, along with a draft pick, to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Texans also received a draft pick in return, along with the veteran safety.
What appeared to be a natural connection between the organization and Gardner-Johnson, as the team aimed to add a ball-hawking safety that complemented the Texans’ already strong defense and to mentor second-year safety Calen Bullock, did not go as planned.
Since the departure of Gardner-Johnson, Houston’s defense has been stellar. They have only given up an average of five points per game, including a shutout of divisional foe, the Tennessee Titans.
Houston’s defense has looked more in sync since the departure of Gardner-Johnson, with the insertion of eight-year veteran safety M.J. Stewart, who is very familiar with the defensive scheme, having played in over 23 games in the defensive backfield over the last two seasons.
They have not allowed a passing touchdown in the last 10 quarters of play and have limited starting quarterbacks to just 143 yards passing, while causing four interceptions in the previous two games. The Texans won their first game in franchise history against Baltimore, Gardner-Johnson’s new team, by a score of 44-10 in Week 5.
Caserio and head coach DeMeco Ryans wanted to maximize the talents of the Super Bowl-winning safety, but they had to move on and do what is best for the team and locker room.
“In the end, took a shot on goal, didn’t work out, move on,” said Texans Executive Vice President and General Manager Nick Caserio to the media on Tuesday. “Really, nothing more to it. I’m not trying to oversimplify it. But that’s the reality of the situation. Certainly, wish him [C.J. Gardner-Johnson] well. Good to work with. In the end, that’s a decision that we made, move ahead.”