Dan Campbell Wants C.J. Gardner-Johnson Back ‘ASAP’

The Lions confirmed on December 14 that Gardner-Johnson had been medically cleared to return after undergoing surgery for the torn pectoral muscle. Campbell shared praise for the veteran defensive back in his ability to rehab quickly and said he would be back on the field “soon.”

“Yeah, I got the same report, which is good news,” Campbell said, via the Detroit News. “It’s great news. So it is back to what we said, he is one of the X-Men. He’s got these mutant genes, because he has healed extremely quickly and he has got his strength back and (the pectoral muscle) is secure. So yeah, he’s going to be ready to go here pretty soon.”

The Lions have not given an indication exactly when Gardner-Johnson could be back, and have not yet activated his 21-day window to return from injured reserve and go back to the active roster.

But Campbell told reporters his return would be as soon as possible.

“The plan will be let’s get him going ASAP,” he said. “That would be the plan. Get him practicing, getting his legs back under him. Get him in shape, football shape.”

Gardner-Johnson was one of the team’s biggest offseason additions as they looked to shore up a secondary that was among the league’s worst in 2022. The former Philadelphia Eagles safety was expected to play a versatile role in Detroit, as he has the ability to play both at safety and slot corner.

Lions Offense Looking to Rebound in Week 15

After turning in one of their worst performances of the season in the 28-13 loss to the Chicago Bears on December 10, Detroit’s offense is looking to rebound on Saturday against an improving Denver Broncos defense.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton said he knows his team will have to face a well-rounded attack from the Lions.

“These guys obviously run the ball well, and have the ability to then go off play-action or drop back,” Payton said on December 14, via the Denver Post. “It’s not just one thing.”

Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton said his team needs to focus on stopping Detroit’s ground attack first, knowing they use the run to set up quarterback Jared Goff and the passing game.

“The games that they’ve won and kind of controlled, they’ve run the ball really well and then play-action and they can take over the game with the deep balls and those receivers,” Singleton told the Denver Post. “To beat them, you’ve got to stop the run. I know that’s what we say against every team, but this team in particular, it’s a must-do.