C.J. Gardner-Johnson Carted Off At Texans Practice

Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson‘s first training camp with the Houston Texans took a negative turn on Thursday.

Reporters at the team’s practice at the Greenbrier in West Virginia said Gardner-Johnson went down while defending wide receiver John Metchie during a drill. Gardner-Johnson stayed down while being examined for an apparent leg injury.

Teammates circled around Gardner-Johnson and took knees while a cart was brought onto the field to take him inside. Those at the practice noted that Gradner-Johnson did not appear to be able to put weight on the injured leg.

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said it was “tough to watch” Garnder-Johnson go down, calling the scene “heartbreaking,” per KPRC2.

The Texans acquired Gardner-Johnson and a 2026 sixth-round pick from the Philadelphia Eagles in March for guard Kenyon Green and a 2025 fifth-rounder after he helped the Eagles win the Super Bowl.

Gardner-Johnson told The Pivot podcast last month that he thinks the Eagles traded him because they’re “scared of a competitor. Simple as that.”

He added that he was blamed for a fight that broke out during one of the Eagles’ playoff practices.

“We had a little scrum at practice. Nothing, just offense versus defense, but who’s the culprit of it? Me,” he said. “I guess, because we’re competing. Well, you tell me the period is live. You’re telling us not to compete during a live period, but it’s a live period, and we’re getting ready for a playoff game?”

Gardner-Johnson was ticketed for a starting job in the Houston secondary, so there will be a lot of people around the team hoping that the news on the injury isn’t as bad as it looked on the field.

A serious injury to Gardner-Johnson would be a significant blow to the Texans’ team that is looking to take the next step after getting eliminated in the divisional round each of the last two seasons.