CJ Gardner-Johnson presents an interesting addition to the Chicago Bears' secondary. He's a talented veteran still in his prime -- but he's also caused issues off the field. He has a reputation as being a player you want on your team, but not as your opponent. He does not seem to be the best teammate.
Still, if head coach Ben Johnson has concerns about Gardner-Johnson's attitude, he's not showing them following Chicago signing the veteran free agent to its active roster on Wednesday.
Johnson called Gardner-Johnson a good fit and seemed to suggest he'd play the slot cornerback position. Johnson went on to state that Gardner-Johnson is a competitive player and the Bears will support him on and off the field.
"We've got a very strong locker room," Johnson said, via Dan Weiderer of The Athletic. "We've got a positive veteran influence in there. We feel very strongly about that group. Nothing's more important than our locker room, to be clear with you. So, that's certainly first and foremost on any decision we make in who we bring in and who we let go, and so I think we're all aware of how important that is and the fit that he has with that locker room."
Gardner-Johnson played for the New Orleans Saints under head coach Dennis Allen, who is now the Bears' defensive coordinator. Johnson also briefly worked on a staff where he coached Gardner-Johnson, when both were with the Detroit Lions.
Bears fans will remember that in 2020, two separate pass catchers, Javon Wims and Anthony Miller, had run-ins with Gardner-Johnson. The Bears played the Saints twice, once in the regular season and once in the playoffs, and both Wims and Miller responded to trash talk from Gardner-Johnson by throwing punches. Both were flagged for penalties. Miller's mistake was especially egregious, as the Bears' coaching staff had made it a point of emphasis for players not to respond to Gardner-Johnson's antics.
Since leaving the Saints, Gardner-Johnson has bounced around a bit. He headed to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022, was with the Lions in 2023, and then went back to Philadelphia for 2024. Since the end of that season, he's been with three teams, including the Bears.
He started three games for the Houston Texans before being released in September, and Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said the move "was the best for our team", implying perhaps Gardner-Johnson had issues beyond the field of play. He was then on the Baltimore Ravens practice squad for about a week before requesting his release. Finally, the veteran wound up visiting Chicago and signing with the Bears.
Johnson seems ready to integrate Gardner-Johnson into the team's defense and appears unconcerned about any possibility that CJGJ will be a malcontent.
"Obviously, he's been with DA and so he should have some familiarity but he's also bounced around to a few different other systems over the last few years and so we'll see how quickly it comes back to him and whether he'll be ready to go this week or not," Johnson said, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN.
"He ended up going on IR there for a long time and so all I know is he's a competitive player," Johnson said, via ESPN. "You know, felt that during training camp that year that I was with him, early in the season and then he came back late in the season, it's the same thing. He loves being on the grass and playing football. So, we'll make sure that we have a good support system for him. You know, he's got a family. He's got kids that are important to him. So, we just want to make sure that we support him the best we can."
The Bears need help in the secondary, and Gardner-Johnson has experience. He's shown that he can be a ballhawk, and he can bait opponents into penalties. All of those things would be welcomed in the Windy City.
Bears fans must hope that he will save any antagonism solely for his opponents. Ben Johnson seems to think he will -- but whether Johnson truly believes that or is just saying so because the team is desperate for help in the secondary is hard to tell. One way or another, we'll all find out soon enough.