Veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson signs with Bears |
Dustin Riese
· · 3 hours ago
I will take something that I didn't see coming for 100 Alex. In the wake of the Bears preparing for their upcoming game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the team has made two roster moves to add depth to the defense.
The first of those moves broke late last night when the Bears and former seventh-round pick Jonathan Garvin agreed to a practice squad deal, but that is only the beginning as the Bears made an even bigger acquisition Wednesday morning. According to reports, veteran Safety Chauncey AKA CJ Gardner-Johnson and the Bears have agreed to a contract weeks after his most recent release from the Baltimore Ravens. While the terms of the deal haven't been disclosed at this point, Gardner-Johnson will not only bring an imposing veteran presence to what is otherwise a young Bears secondary but also have the opportunity to reunite with his former defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen. This went under the radar earlier this week, as Gardner-Johnson was in Halas Hall for a workout on Tuesday, with his agent breaking the news the next day. Say what you want about Garner-Johnson and the season he has had, but this is a guy with 77 games of NFL experience under his belt and a Super Bowl champ, so getting a player with that much experience this late in the season is huge. Still just 27 years of age, Garnder-Johnson has plenty of football left in the tank, but this is someone who many felt has been in the league a lot longer than he has. Looking back at his career thus far, Gardner-Johnson began his career with the Saints in 2019 and has since then bounced around the league playing for these teams: New Orleans Saints (2019-21), Philadelphia Eagles (2022, 2024), Detroit Lions (2023), and Houston Texans (2025). His 2025 has been especially interesting: he opened the season with Houston, only to get cut; latched on with the Ravens, only to get cut; and is now heading to Chicago. For both his sake and the Bears', hopefully, he sticks around for a little longer than a few weeks, as he is someone the Bears could use. Along with that, he comes to the Bears with a Super Bowl ring and 13 games of playoff experience, and that alone is something you can't coach. Regardless of whether he has a big role with the Bears —it remains to be seen — Allen can move him around, which alone helps this defense. Primarily a cornerback most of his career, Gardner-Johnson has seen time at safety, but with the injuries to Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, look for him to at the very least be given some run at the slot corner position as he could be the X-Factor to the secondary until some of these guys come back. On the field, Gardner-Johnson is a playmaker, having logged 18 career picks in 77 games, with one going to the house. That touchdown came last season with the Eagles, when Gardner-Johnson tied his career high with six interceptions. He has also added 12 breakups over the years, which isn't great, but he is known more as a physical corner who does what it takes to make the play. Getting back to the versatility factor of Gardner-Johnson, you can look back during his time with the Saints when he spent a majority of his time (477 of 703 defensive snaps) at the slot corner. This is a surprisingly massive get for the Bears, one no one saw coming. Given where the Bears are currently sitting in the playoff picture, they were at the very least going to consider making some moves at the deadline. What those moves were going to be was a different question, and adding a guy like this from the free-agent market is not only a big move but one that won't cost the Bears future assets, which is all you can ask for. C.J. Gardner-Johnson discusses why he signed with the Bears: Press release: The Chicago Bears on Wednesday made the following transactions: Signed the following player to the Active Roster: DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson Signed the following player to the Practice Squad: DL Jonathan Garvin OL Royce Newman Gardner-Johnson has appeared in 77 career games (64 starts) over his seven professional seasons. Gardner-Johnson, who shared the NFL lead in interceptions in 2022 (six), helped lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a World Championship last season, starting all four postseason outings in Eagles secondary en route to a Super Bowl LIX victory. Entering the league as a fourth-round selection (105th overall) by the New Orleans Saints in 2019, Gardner-Johnson has recorded 315 total tackles (241 solo tackles), 51 passes defensed including 18 interceptions, as well as 22 tackles for loss, including four sacks, for the Saints (2019-21), Philadelphia Eagles (2022 and 2024), Detroit Lions (2023) and Houston Texans (2025). In 13 postseason appearances (10 starts), Gardner-Johnson secured 50 tackles (30 solo), one interception with Detroit in 2023, as well as one tackle for loss and four total passes defensed. A native of Cocoa, Fla., Gardner-Johnson played three years at Florida (2016-18), where he appeared in 37 games (26 starts) and totaled nine interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns. Gardner-Johnson was named Most Valuable Player of both the Outback Bowl (2016) and the Chick-Fil-A Bowl (2018), tallying multiple interceptions in each performance for the Gators.
"Come to a place where I'm comfortable with the coach. This team was already good before me." pic.twitter.com/70yTkV29PN
