The Lion’s secondary had some encouraging news from a potentially devastating situation that could have been way worse.
A source told ESPN’s Field Yates that C.J. Gardner Johnson‘s right knee showed no structural damage (coming back with a clean MRI) and is considered day-to-day after being carted off in practice due to a non-contact incident.
In a light contact team drill, the defensive back was helped off by trainers to the cart after he struggled to put pressure on his right leg. CGJ’s new teammates were worried after he sustained a scary-looking injury, as the former Eagle was emotional on the practice field.
“It’s hard to see your brothers go down. You never want to see it, especially early in camp or really any day, regardless of the position or the player,” cornerback Cameron Sutton told ESPN after practice. “It’s kind of hard to detail. All you can do is send up prayers.”
Several Lions, including quarterback Jared Goff, went to support and check on Gardner-Johnson, and after practice, awaited patiently on the status of his injury and hoping for some positivity.
“When I went over there, I think he said somebody stepped on it, but I didn’t see it. I just saw him go down and I saw him grabbing it. I went through that, too, where I grabbed mine,” cornerback Jerry Jacobs said. “Not saying that I know what it is, but I’m just praying that it’s nothing like [an ACL]. To see a guy like that with great energy and a great attitude changes the room. S— is so sad. I’m going to go in and check on him. But it’s sad because he’s a great guy.”
The projected starting nickel cornerback and hybrid safety signed a one-year deal worth up to $8 million in March as their big-name free-agent acquisition for a young defense looking to turn it around from years past.
“You hate when people go down, especially without pads on – it’s camp. We haven’t even played a game,” linebacker James Houston told ESPN. “So, first, I’m praying for him, and I think the whole team is praying for him and we just hope he’s going to be OK.”
“You can’t let things like that affect you. The show must go on,” he continued. “Somebody else has to go in and fill in and we’ve got to be able to keep the beat going. Obviously, yeah, it sucks, because that’s your homeboy, that’s your teammate. I’ve known him for a very long time, so I definitely will be praying for him.”
For the Eagles on their Super Bowl run, Gardner-Johnson tied the NFL in most picks that season, with six, despite missing five games due to a lacerated kidney. Since the 1970 merger, the safety was the only Philadelphia defensive back to record interceptions in five consecutive games.
Despite Detroit drafting Alabama defensive back Brian Branch in the second round of the most recent NFL Draft, the pick might pay off even more now, regardless of the roles they play in the secondary. Both Branch and Gardner-Johnson have safety and slot cornerback experience, as they can rotate around safeties like second-year Kerby Joseph and 28-year-old veteran Tracy Walker III in the secondary.
That said, the Lions will likely take it easy with the 25-year-old Gardner-Johnson, as the rookie Branch is the future at that position for Detroit and could prove early why he was the perfect insurance policy pick from the 2023 NFL Draft.
