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Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson (8) against the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LIX at Ceasars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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

Originally posted on Houston Texans on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Aug 27, 2025 5:25 PM ET

It looks like the Houston Texans continue to hold out hope for veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to be ready to go for Week 1 of the regular season following a scary knee injury earlier in training camp.

Texans general manager Nick Caserio gave an update on Gardner-Johnson's current status and potential availability for the first week of the season vs. the Los Angeles Rams, where he didn't totally rule out the possibility of seeing the veteran safety out on the field.

“We’ll see, he’s worked hard,” Caserio said. “We’ll see if he’s ready to practice here at some point. So, ‘Ceedy’ is a good player. We think he can help us. We’ll see how much progress he makes.

“Again, we’re not playing a game for 10 days, so there’s a lot of things that can happen between now and the start of the season. We’ll see how it goes. But ‘Ceedy’ is in a good spot. He’s worked really hard and made some progress. We’ll see when he’s ready to go.”

Gardner-Johnson was carted off with a knee injury during a training camp practice earlier in August that first led to speculation that the veteran's entire season could be in peril, but he ended up evading any serious hangup that will likely only take him out for a few weeks.

The Texans offseason acquisition from the Philadelphia Eagles wound up being forced out of the action for all three of Houston's preseason games, and still has lingering questions of what his status may hold for the regular season. But, compared to the initial scare Gardner-Johnson faced when first going down with the injury, it's certainly better to return late than never.

Following the Texans' final preseason game vs. the Minnesota Vikings, head coach DeMeco Ryans also expressed similar positive sentiments surrounding the status of Gardner-Johnson, remaining confident he'll be back on the field this season after taking the time he needs to recover..

“C.J. is in great spirits,” Ryans said, via KPRC2's Aaron Wilson.“ He’s doing well. So we’re excited that he’ll be fine. Take some time, he’ll continue to progress and get better. “So, thankfully, we’ll be seeing him back on the field this year, and always, with all of my guys with injury situations, it’s about those guys, being caring for them, making sure they are in a good spot mentally and physically.”

During his last year with the Eagles, Gardner-Johnson started in the back-end of their secondary for 16 games, posting 59 combined tackles, 12 passes defended, and six interceptions en route to a Super Bowl victory at season's end.

Gardner-Johnson's status will remain worth watching leading up to the kickoff of the regular season next weekend, but there still appears to be optimism in the building that we could end up seeing his official debut in a Texans uniform.

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

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