Surprise in Houston: Texans Cut C.J. Gardner-Johnson
In an unexpected move, the Houston Texans have released safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, as announced by the team this Tuesday. In his three appearances as a starter, Gardner-Johnson accumulated 15 tackles, without achieving interceptions or pass deflections. The Texans had acquired Gardner-Johnson in March, coming from the Philadelphia Eagles, in exchange for their first-round draft pick from 2022. The hope was to add a player with the ability to intercept passes, remembering that Gardner-Johnson had achieved six interceptions in 2024 with the Eagles. However, Gardner-Johnson has struggled to adapt to coach DeMeco Ryans’ defensive scheme, resulting in several significant plays against the Texans’ secondary during the first three weeks of the season, in which the team has accumulated a 0-3 record.The Texans’ three losses have been by seven points or less. Team sources indicate that Gardner-Johnson has allowed at least three significant plays in those games, contributing to touchdowns by the opposing team. In addition, he has had trouble consistently covering the right player in “matchup coverage” situations, according to the Texans’ defensive call and the rival offense’s routes. These difficulties also manifested during pre-game rehearsals.When you see a big play happen on our defense, at some point there’s a breakdown in communication. It all starts with communication, and it hasn’t been as precise as it should be. We see it. We have to make some adjustments there to make sure we correct it.
DeMeco Ryans
In the first game against the Los Angeles Rams, quarterback Matthew Stafford threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Davis Allen, who ran a route into the end zone that Gardner-Johnson was supposed to cover. Kamari Lassiter tried to correct the coverage, but couldn’t stop Allen. Houston lost the game 14-9.
In the second week, Baker Mayfield, quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, threw a pass on the route to Ryan Miller for a 20-yard touchdown on the first offensive series. The Texans were in Cover-2 coverage, which required Gardner-Johnson to cover the deep right half of the field. Instead, he jumped on a short route by Sterling Shepard, exposing the deep zone for Miller’s reception. The Texans lost 20-19.Last week, against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Gardner-Johnson made a crucial mistake when the score was tied at 10 late in the fourth quarter, jumping a route by Parker Washington when he was responsible for covering the center of the field. Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence took advantage of the mistake and connected with Brian Thomas on a 46-yard pass to Houston’s 10-yard line.
Houston allowed Jaguars running back Travis Etienne to score on the next play. The Texans couldn’t get to the end zone and lost 17-10. In addition to the errors in coverage, sources indicate that Gardner-Johnson has refused to take responsibility for his mistakes, which has affected his teammates. A team member commented that Gardner-Johnson “pointed the finger” instead of acknowledging his failures. The Texans will face the Tennessee Titans this Sunday in Houston. Both teams have a 0-3 record. The Texans hope that better chemistry will help them get their first win.
