The Houston Texans made a key move to upgrade their secondary this offseason by trading offensive lineman Kenyon Green to the Philadelphia Eagles for safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
They had a scare this week with their addition to the safety room.
Gardner-Johnson went down with what appeared to be a serious leg injury during practice. Texans coach DeMeco Ryans called it “heartbreaking” to him go down like that.
“I’m always nervous as a head coach anytime I see anybody hit the ground,” Ryans said after practice. “We’ll evaluate CJ, see where he is but no update at this time.”
We now have an update. Gardner-Johnson’s injury isn’t as severe as initially thought, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, and the veteran safety could be available as early as the Texans’ Week 1 game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Further testing revealed that Texans safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s knee injury isn’t as serious as it could have been, and it’s not out of the question that he could be back as soon as the regular-season opener vs. the Rams.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 8, 2025
In the hours following the injury, some feared Gardner-Johnson had torn something in his leg. Early testing after practice showed he did not tear his ACL, per reports, but more testing revealed he could be back on the field in time for regular season.
Gardner-Johnson is the lone new starter in the Texans’ secondary for the 2025 NFL season. He adds experience to one of the youngest secondaries in the league.
Texans S depth chart
Gardner-Johnson is slated to start this year alongside second-year safety Calen Bullock. There’s a mix of veterans and young players behind them.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson
Calen Bullock
M.J. Stewart
Jaylen Reed
Russ Yeast
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: C.J. Gardner-Johnson injury: What we know about Texans’ safety
