Texans' C.J. Gardner-Johnson Carted Off With Serious Injury

Per Wilson, Gardner-Johnson was taken to receive an MRI from trainers with the results of those tests still pending, while the Texans went on to resume practice.

If Gardner-Johnson did wind up with a serious injury to derail his first season in Houston, it'll undoubtedly be a big blow to the back end of the Texans' secondary. Other veteran safety Jimmie Ward is already out of the mix for Houston as he remains both in injury recovery and awaiting his status on his legal troubles from this summer.

Gardner-Johnson was acquired by the Texans earlier this offseason in a deal with the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, paired with a future sixth round pick in exchange for former first-round guard Kenyon Green and a fifth-round selection for what was largely a salary dump for the Eagles.

However, Gardner-Johnson still comes off a productive year as a part of the Eagles' secondary, making his services look to be a major pickup for this Texans defense in 2025.

During his last year in the fold with the Texans, Gardner-Johnson started in each of the 16 games he suited up for, logging 59 combined tackles, two tackles for loss, 12 passes defended, and tied his career-high of six interceptions on the year, while also being en route to winning his first-ever Super Bowl ring.

The big picture outlook on Gardner-Johnson's injury and the timeline of any action he may miss remains up in the air, but on the surface, it looks like the newest Texans defensive back could be on the sidelines for a decent stretch of time.

If he does end up missing the action for either preseason or rolling into the regular season, expect both second-year safety Calen Bullock and rookie Jaylen Reed to get an uptick in opportunity moving forward.