Why the Bills took a chance on safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson
C.J. Gardner-Johnson, the Bills' newest safety, is the type of low-cost, proven player smart contenders add through free agency.
A hard-hitting, playmaking safety who can line up in multiple spots on defense and owns a Super Bowl ring agreed on the fourth day of free agency to join the Buffalo Bills on a one-year contract.
How did someone as accomplished as C.J. Gardner-Johnson receive just $6 million to become a candidate to form a safety tandem with Cole Bishop? Gardner-Johnson’s exit from the Philadelphia Eagles, with whom he won a Super Bowl two years ago, is a succinct summary of why he’s not going to fit on every team. Gardner-Johnson explained the situation last July while appearing on "The Pivot" podcast.
“Scared of a competitor,” Gardner-Johnson replied when asked by the host, retired NFL safety Ryan Clark, why the Eagles traded the veteran despite his significant impact during their championship season. “As simple as that. You can’t program a dawg.”
Gardner-Johnson cited a play nine months earlier when he got ejected from a game against the Washington Commanders because of a second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Eagles coaches yelled at him on the sideline. Then, Gardner-Johnson explained tensions continued following a “scrum” at practice between the offense and defense.
Former Bears safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who is now with the Bills, had 51 tackles, five for a loss, and two interceptions
with three sacks in 10 games for Chicago last season. Kamil Krzaczynski, Associated Press
The Eagles had had enough. Gardner-Johnson got traded to the Houston Texans, and it took just three regular-season games for their head coach, DeMeco Ryans, to decide it was not going to work.
“I know what’s best for our team,” Ryans said afterwards.
Why would the Bills have interest? Gardner-Johnson is a very talented player. He proved it following his exit from Houston with 51 tackles, five for a loss, and two interceptions with three sacks in 10 games for the Chicago Bears. His coach, Ben Johnson, gave Gardner-Johnson a game ball in Week 9 for a nine-tackle, two-sack performance with a forced fumble. Twice in Philadelphia, he had six interceptions. His skill set is perfect for the defense Buffalo wants to run with Joe Brady as coach and Jim Leonhardt as the play-caller.
Receivers must brace for a big hit when they catch a ball over the middle, and Gardner-Johnson is in the secondary. Is there risk in bringing Gardner-Johnson to Orchard Park? Of course. But you could say the same for any free agent. The difference here is the Bills are not investing big money or long-term. Gardner-Johnson, 28, is the type of player who can flourish in the right environment.
"Ball-hawk ability, physicality, and the ability to toe the line, but I cross it," Gardner-Johnson told reporters Friday during a video conference call. "... over the course of my career, I have a good tendency of toeing the line and have my teammates be able to toe it with me. Really playing feisty and going out there understanding that I play with that passion and that chip on my shoulder playing for the city."
His arrival should be viewed as a pleasant surprise.
The Bills didn’t usually take this sort of risk with Sean McDermott as coach. A locker room can be a delicate ecosystem. If one person does not fit, everything can get thrown out of balance. Bills general manager and president of football operations Brandon Beane is trusting his coaching staff, most notably Leonhard and defensive backs coach Jay Valai, to help Gardner-Johnson harness the ferocious competitiveness that has admittedly irritated others in the past.
Former Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson hits Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson out of bounds in 2022. Gardner-Johnson has 20 career interceptions.
Lon Horwedel, AP file
In Chicago, Gardner-Johnson got penalties just three times in 565 snaps. He was not called for unsportsmanlike conduct. And he gave the Bears a chess piece that every modern defense needs. Dennis Allen, their defensive coordinator, used Gardner-Johnson as a blitzer. He led all NFL safeties with three sacks and totaled a career-high six quarterback hits. The events over the past few years – including Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio saying he was "fine" with the team trading Gardner-Johnson – led to a perception that he has trouble getting along with teammates and coaches.
Gardner-Johnson does not care. One of his former teammates, Bills assistant linebackers coach Craig Robertson, vouched for him. Brady was also with Gardner-Johnson in New Orleans.
"Nah, cause I look at it like this: I don't throw shade. Locker rooms I've been in, we've won. The situation I got traded to, like, it's hard to go into something where you're not really familiar. ... You have to gather that relationship while trying to get better, and the season comes quick. Once the moves (are made) and the draft picks come in, it's on. ... If there was a locker room problem, I just (go back) to whatever came out -- why now. Why now? If I were a locker room problem, why now? Where were the news flashes when we were 14-3 and on top of the mountain?"
Though Gardner-Johnson may not have fit in McDermott’s defense, the one Leonhardt will install this offseason needed a versatile safety with outstanding vision. His aggressive nature can lead to mistakes while trying to stop the run – Pro Football Focus credited Gardner-Johnson with a 17.9% missed tackle rate in 2025 – but he should help the Bills in their mission to allow fewer explosive plays.
Bishop’s breakthrough season, which included 85 tackles with three interceptions, showed Beane that Buffalo had the freedom this offseason to add a safety who can play in the box or as the Bills’ single-high defender. Gardner-Johnson can do both.
According to Pro Football Focus, Gardner-Johnson played 269 snaps as a box safety in 2025. He also played 390 snaps as a big slot corner and 86 snaps at free safety. His career numbers: 2,197 slot snaps, 1,567 free-safety snaps, and 1,086 snaps in the box. Leonhard can use Bishop near the box on one play, then move him to free safety for the next. The idea is to be unpredictable and make quarterbacks uncomfortable with the looks they’ll see pre- and post-snap.
There's a theme to this offseason: the Bills want aggressive defensive players who can make plays in different spots on the field. Dee Alford, their newest nickel cornerback, can play on the perimeter or in the slot. He also cross-trains as a safety to help him make plays as an overhang defender in coverage. The team also signed veteran safety Geno Stone, who started 45 games for the Bengals and Ravens across the past three seasons.
The signings don't preclude the Bills from adding another safety in the draft, either. Jordan Hancock, a fifth-round pick in 2025, is still on the roster and brings similar versatility, but they can add someone with a skill set that fits the DNA of this defense. Hybrid players made an incredible impact for the Seattle Seahawks during their run to the Super Bowl, and the term “positionless” defense has become commonplace around the NFL.
You may be disappointed with the Bills’ stealth approach to free agency. They didn’t land a big-ticket player like edge rusher Trey Hendrickson. Beane has swum in those waters before, though. In 2022, he gave Von Miller a six-year, $120 million contract. The plan worked until Miller tore his ACL. He was never the same in Buffalo. The Bills are still in the business of adding good players. Bradley Chubb is an accomplished pass rusher who has thrived in a scheme like the one Buffalo will use under Leonhard. In his last two healthy seasons, Chubb has totaled 19½ sacks. He also prefers to line up on the left side of the defense, which allows the Bills to use Greg Rousseau on his preferred side.
In general, the Bills are going to work around the fringes of free agency to find players like Gardner-Johnson. The strategy has worked before. How do you think they added David Edwards and Leonard Floyd? Some of these signings don’t happen until May or June, like linebacker Shaq Thompson in 2025. This isn’t the only team following this strategy, either. The Seahawks waited 72 hours to sign an external free agent. The Denver Broncos, who were one win away from the Super Bowl, had not signed one as of Friday morning. The Jaguars haven't done much, either.
The Bills helped Josh Allen and the offense by acquiring receiver DJ Moore, then re-signing center Connor McGovern and keeping tight end Dawson Knox. On defense, Buffalo’s current first-team defense could be Ed Oliver, Deone Walker, T.J. Sanders, Rousseau, Dorian Williams, Terrel Bernard, Chubb, Christian Benford, Maxwell Hairston, Bishop, and Gardner-Johnson.
Not a bad start. And the offseason is far from over. The Bills own the 26th in the first round, which does not need to be used on a safety with Gardner-Johnson and Stone in tow. Beane could add a pass rusher, inside linebacker or defensive end. Gardner-Johnson may barely get mentioned on national talk shows, but who cares? He’s the type of player this team needed.