Getty Safety C.J. Gardner-Johsnon finished tied for the NFL lead in interceptions with 6 after coming over to Philly from New Orleans in a trade.
The Detroit Lions may have avoided the worst after defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson suffered a frightening injury during the team’s practice on July 24.
The former Philadelphia Eagles safety suffered a non-contact injury during the team’s morning practice and had to be carted off the field. The injury made for a scary moment as Gardner-Johnson appeared visibly upset as he was taken off the field, but ESPN’s Field Yates had a more positive update on his status later in the day.
“The MRI on Lions S C.J. Gardner-Johnson revealed no structural damage to his knee and he is considered day-to-day at this time, I’m told,” Yates wrote on Twitter. “Great news for a huge part of Detroit’s reshaped secondary after Gardner-Johnson left practice earlier today.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter added that the update was the “best case” for the Lions as the season approaches.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson Expected to Play Big Role in Detroit
While the team had yet to release a more definite timeline for Gardner-Johnson’s return, his avoiding a major injury is a win for a Lions team looking to improve their defense in the coming season.
Big Lions update from @TomPelissero, who reports C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s knee injury is not serious.
The Lions signed Gardner-Johnson as a major piece of their defensive overhaul, with the team looking to upgrade a unit that was among the league’s worst last season. The former Eagles safety made a big early impression, with head coach Dan Campbell praising his energy and enthusiasm at the team’s minicamp in June.
“Look, he’s got contagious energy,” Campbell said, via USA Today’s Lions Wire. “As long as it’s not affecting your job and you stay focused on the job at hand — one of the reasons C.J. is that way is because that’s how he gets his engine going. In turn, that just spills out into the offense or your teammates. You can’t help — the level of intensity, it raises. I think that makes everybody around you better. And more competitive.”
New Look for Lions Secondary
As MLive.com’s Kyle Meinke noted, the Lions underwent almost a total overhaul of their secondary after the unit struggled last season. All three of last year’s starting cornerbacks were benched at some point, he noted, leading the team to move on from all three and part ways with defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant.
While Gardner-Johnson may have been the marquee addition, Meinke noted that the team brought in a number of other upgrades.
“General manager Brad Holmes spent unlike ever before to bring in veteran starters like cornerbacks Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley, which should immediately reshape the look of the perimeter defense,” he noted. “Sutton ranked 22nd at the position last year according to ProFootballFocus — more than 40 spots better than anyone in Detroit — and allowed a stingy passer rating of 65.2. As a team, Detroit allowed a passer rating of 94.2. That guy’s certainly an improvement over Jeff Okudah and Amani Oruwariye, although he’s not alone. Far from it.”
The Lions also added former San Franciso 49ers cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, who Meinke called “one of the best under-the-radar cornerbacks in the league.”