Jul 23, 2025; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans watches during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Texans' DeMeco Ryans Reacts to C.J. Gardner-Johnson Injury

Originally posted on Houston Texans on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Aug 7, 2025 1:27 PM ET

The Houston Texans saw one of their top defensive backs in C.J. Gardner-Johnson go down with a serious leg injury during Thursday's training camp scrimmage, ultimately leading to the veteran safety being carted off the field, and putting his status for the season ahead in a bit of limbo.

It's never easy to see any player go down with such an injury, especially during a training camp practice, before Gardner-Johnson's even seen a snap in preseason. The 27-year-old was traded to Houston earlier this offseason from the Philadelphia Eagles, sitting days away from the Texans' preseason debut.

Following Thursday's practice, head coach DeMeco Ryans spoke about Gardner-Johnson's injury, calling the events "heartbreaking" to watch unfold.

“It’s heartbreaking when you see a guy go down on the field like that and doesn't get up quickly. I'm always nervous as a head coach any time I see somebody hit the ground. It's tough to watch. We’ll see, we'll evaluate where he is, but no update at this time."

After Gardner-Johnson was down and in pain, the field went silent, and players surrounded one another in prayer for a few moments– a meaningful message from the Texans, and one that Ryans noted as a truly heartfelt one.

#Texans safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson is down and it looks serious. Appears to be his knee. Field is silent. Players are all taking a knee @KPRC2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 7, 2025

"It's heartfelt because we're a team," Ryans said. "We're all in this together, and you see the emotion from our team. I've been on teams where you just, 'Hey, coaches, just move the ball up, and keep practicing.' I think that's very insensitive. So, we're going to take the time there, guys take a knee, pray for him, just make sure they send their teammate off well."

"That's what it's about. It's about that moment, for me, to make sure we care for each other. It's not just some slogans that we throw up or just toss around. Like, we truly care about each other. So that's why you see, if something like that happens in practice, we're going to take our time, then we have to hit reset– it's a tough message– but we have to hit reset, and then we have to get back going."

#Texans HC DeMeco Ryans called the C. J. Gardner-Johnson injury “heartbreaking.” pic.twitter.com/X2UQP1qK9T
— DJ Bien-Aime (@Djbienaime) August 7, 2025

It remains to be seen what the status on Gardner-Johnson's health holds while awaiting results on his MRI, but it appears more than likely the veteran will be set to miss some time.

This article first appeared on Houston Texans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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