WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W. Va. – Texans veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson suffered a knee injury and is undergoing more testing to determine the extent of the damage, per league sources.
Although it was feared initially that Gardner-Johnson tore or damaged his anterior cruciate ligament, it’s now expected that he will miss an undetermined amount of time. There are several different time tables involving the type of knee injury Gardner-Johnson suffered while covering wide receiver John Metchie III.
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Gardner-Johnson was carted off the field and later underwent a magnetic resonance imaging exam and other tests on his knee. Gardner-Johnson’s cleats got stuck in the grass after sliding while tackling Metchie.
It was a somber moment at The Greenbrier Sports Performance Center as teammates took a knee around Gardner-Johnson. The field went silent. Gardner-Johnson was unable to put weight on his leg. He was visibly upset, pounding the ground with his hand after he went down.
Losing Gardner-Johnson would represent a blow for one of the most talented secondaries in the league. Gardner-Johnson had been slated for a major role opposite All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., cornerback Kamari Lassiter, safety Calen Bullock and nickel Jalen Pitre.
“It’s heartbreaking when you see a guy go down on the field like that,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “I’m always nervous as a head coach when I see anyone hit the ground. It’s tough to watch. We’ll evaluate C.J., see where he is.”
Gardner-Johnson, acquired in an offseason trade from the Philadelphia Eagles, was defending Metchie in a routine play in a scrimmage. Gardner-Johnson intercepted six passes for the Super Bowl champions last season and was slated for a major role in the Texans’ defense as a starter opposite Calen Bullock.
Practice was halted for several minutes as teammates took a knee and prayers for Gardner-Johnson.
“It’s heartfelt because we’re a team, we’re all in this together,” Ryans said. “You see the emotion from our team. We care about each other. I’ve been on teams where coaches just move the ball up and you keep practicing. Well, I think that’s very insensitive so we’re going to take the time there for guys to take a knee and pray for him, just make sure they send their teammate off well.”
Gardner-Johnson left Philadelphia after helping shut down the Kansas City Chiefs’ vaunted offense headlined by quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Star tight end Travis Kelce was locked up, limited to four catches for 39 yards.
Gardner-Johnson had two stints with the Eagles in between playing for the Detroit Lions during a injury-shortened season.
In acquiring Gardner-Johnson, the Texans added an instinctive, ball-hawking safety. Now, he’s out of the equation at this time for a proud defense.
Gardner-Johnson had six interceptions last season for a championship team, one more than Bullock did as a rookie for the Texans. Gardner-Johnson provides a hard-hitting, instinctive presence. He has 18 career interceptions.
The Texans ranked sixth in passing defense and 13th in scoring defense last season and appeared primed for major improvements this season on defense.
The Texans have options at safety with Gardner-Johnson’s status up in the air, including free agents.
The Texans can go with veteran M.J. Stewart or Myles Bryant.
Stewart filled in right away for Gardner-Johnson today with the first-team offense, backed up by Bryant.
Bryant, a former New England Patriots starter, signed a one-year contract this spring.
For the Texans last season, he appeared in 11 games and had 14 tackles as he appeared in 40 percent of the special teams snaps and 10 percent of the defensive snaps for the defending AFC South champions.
In two playoff games, he started once and allowed five catches on 12 targets for 127 yards and one score.
For his career, Bryant (5-foot-9, 192 pounds) has recorded 17 passes defensed
“Myles, he shows up every day,” Ryans said. “Myles, he does a lot for us. He’s a utility guy. He can play on the outside at corner, nickel, safety, moves around a lot of positions. Saw a really nice punt return from him today. He’s just all over the place.
“Smart player, I love to work with him because he’s very smart. You can put him anywhere and he knows every position on the defense. So, very thankful to have Myles with us here. He’s just he’s a very valuable piece of what we’re doing.”
Pitre has significant experience at safety in this defense. If he shifted to safety, Arthur Maulet or Bryant could be the nickel. Rookie corner Jaylin Smith played some nickel at USC.
Maulet signed a one-year, $1.33 million contract that included a $75,000 signing bonus in the spring. He is a former Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers starter.
Another option has uncertainty surrounding his status.
Veteran safety Jimmie Ward, a former team captain and starter, is on the physically unable to perform list after undergoing foot surgery this offseason.
He hasn’t been cleared to practice.
Ward, 34, is also facing an unresolved legal situation in Montgomery County. He’s due in court Aug. 13 after being arrested in June on a third-degree felony domestic violence case.
His lawyer, Steven Jackson, told KPRC 2 that he believes his client will be “vindicated” and asked the public to reserve judgment while the legal process unfolds.
The NFL is investigating the matter under its personal conduct policy. He could face a potential suspension, even if he isn’t convicted of a crime.
The injury to Gardner-Johnson affected the emotions of practice. Out of sensitivity for the situation, practice was halted for several minutes and teammates were able to encourage Gardner-Johnson.
“We care for each other,” Ryans said. “It’s not just some slogans that we throw up or we toss around. Like we truly care about each other, so that’s why you see if something like that happens in practice, we’re going to take our time to let everybody take their time. When we have to hit reset, it’s a tough message but we have to hit reset and then we have to get back going.”
Nick Chubb remains sidelined
Texans veteran running back Nick Chubb didn’t practice due to a head injury sustained earlier this week when he took a hard shot from cornerback Kamari Lassiter and left with a trainer.
Chubb missed two consecutive days, but is expected to make a full recovery.
“Nick will be fine,” Ryans said. “Nick will be back with us pretty soon.”
After participating in a walkthrough Wednesday, linebacker Christian Harris (calf) didn’t practice in the scrimmage along with running back Dameon Pierce (quadriceps). This is considered part of their return-to-play individualized programs.
Rookie safety Jaylen Reed is out roughly three weeks with an ankle injury.
Defensive end Dylan Horton has been at practice, but watching from the side.
Left tackle Cam Robinson didn’t practice for the third day this week. He injured his leg Monday. He has been watching practice.
Without Robinson, the offensive line configuration has been rookie Aireontae Ersery at left tackle, Laken Tomlinson at left guard, Jake Andrews at center, Ed Ingram at right guard and Tytus Howard at right tackle.
The offensive line played solidly at times against the defense for the most part. Ersery did allow a sack to Pro Bowl defensive end Will Anderson Jr.
“Overall, these past couple of days, they continue to get better and better and better,” Ryans siad. “They’ve done a great job of picking up some of the pressures, done a great job on one-on-one protection, passing off games, working with each other. I see that progression. I see the growth in our offensive line and I’m excited to see them actually go out and do it against someone else. But, they’ve done a really great job while we’ve been here in West Virginia.”
Playing time against Vikings
Ryans indicated that some players will be held out of the game,
Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud said he would like to play against the Minnesota Vikings in a Saturday road preseason opener, but it’s unclear if he will play any snaps.
Any injured player who hasn’t been practicing isn’t expected to play.
“We’ll have a handful of guys who won’t see action in the game,” Ryans said. “It’ll be a mix. Everybody’s kind of on their own plan. We’ll have a handful of guys who won’t see time at all. Then we’ll have a certain group of guys who are limited. So, it’s just a lot of different guys in different categories there. But, you’ll see most of our young guys playing versus the Vikings.”
Mission accomplished
After four days of practices in West Virginia, Ryans declared the trip a successful, productive experience.
This was the third trip to The Greenbrier for the Texans after previously using the state-of-the-art facility for portions of training camp in 2018 and 2017 under former coach Bill O’Brien.
“Everything that we set out to accomplish, we got it done here,” Ryans said. “Coming to West Virginia, again, pleasant weather. Our guys were able to lock in and I saw us get better on both sides of the ball. Offense, defense, we got better.
“It was a lot of positives from us being here. Very thankful to everyone who supported us coming out here. It was everything that I thought it would be. So, I’m happy it turned out in a great manner.”
The Texans made this trip for reasons beyond getting out of the Texas heat.
It was about building camaraderie.
“What I’ve noticed is guys just continue to get tighter,” Ryans said. “Guys sitting around the meal room just a little bit longer, hanging out and really know where to go. That’s what I saw in Cleveland as well. Guys just hanging out, bonding as teammates.
“That’s the stuff that happens off the field that no one see. Everybody wants to talk about or report what happens on the field, but I truly believe you have to be a tight team. You have to be connected off the field. I’ve seen that grow from our team. I’ve seen us get closer. I’ve seen us grow more connected while being here. That’s all I could have hoped for.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
