Texans Issue Massive Injury Update on C.J. Gardner-Johnson

To see Gardner-Johnson on track to be in the mix vs. the Rams is a massive lift for this Texans secondary that had been beaten up with injuries across the stretch of preseason and camp.

Veteran Jimmie Ward has been dealing with a foot injury paired with some legal troubles to keep him sidelined all throughout the lead-up to the season, while rookie Jaylen Reed had been placed on Injured Reserve earlier last week with a knee injury.

Gardner-Johnson initially went down with the scary knee injury to sideline him for a few weeks right before their first week of preseason vs. the Minnesota Vikings, an injury that led to him being carted off the practice field and initial questions of whether his entire season would even be in jeopardy. Instead, the veteran safety turned out to avoid anything serious, with signs now pointing towards him being able to suit up just in time for their regular season's kickoff.

Gardner-Johnson comes off a Super Bowl-winning season with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he played and started 16 games in the back-end, collecting 59 combined tackles, a career-high 12 passes defended, and logging six interceptions in the process.

In March, the 27-year-old would end up being dealt to the Texans in exchange for former first-round offensive lineman Kenyon Green. Now, after some lingering injury questions for what his availability may hold to begin the year, Gardner-Johnson looks positioned for a big seventh-career season in Houston, and seemingly on pace to suit up for Week 1.

Gardner-Johnson and the Texans' secondary will be set to take on Matthew Stafford and this Los Angeles offense on Sunday, September 7th, kicking off at 3:25 PM CT.