Orchard Park, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Bills have added a veteran presence to their secondary with the signing of defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson to a one-year deal. NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero was the first to report the signing.
Gardner-Johnson is set to join his sixth team in six years after being a former fourth-round pick (105th overall) of the New Orleans Saints in the 2019 NFL Draft out of the University of Florida.
Over his three season spent with the Saints, Gardner-Johnson appeared in 43 games, starting 31 of those contests and registering 161 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, three sacks, 28 passes defended and five interceptions.
Following his 2021 season in New Orleans, Gardner-Johnson was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, where he led the league with six interceptions in only 12 games played. He was also part of an Eagles defense that helped vault them to the Super Bowl, where they ended up losing to the Kansas City Chiefs.
After a brief injury-riddled season in Detroit with the Lions in 2023, Gardner-Johnson returned to the Eagles in 2024, where he helped Philadelphia return to relevance defensively and earn the franchise's second Super Bowl title over the Chiefs.
This past season saw Gardner-Johnson split time between the Houston Texans (three games) and Chicago Bears (10 games), with a brief stop in-between with the Baltimore Ravens on their practice squad.
Over the course of his seven years in the NFL, Gardner-Johnson combined for 87 games played and 71 career starts, where he put up 370 total tackles, 27 tackles for loss, seven sacks, 55 passes defended, 20 interceptions and three forced fumbles.
While Gardner-Johnson has played cornerback earlier in his career, he has mostly played safety over the last few years. He would join a group in Buffalo that includes Cole Bishop, Sam Franklin Jr., Wande Owens and Darryl Porter.
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