The Chicago Bears watched multiple players leave town this offseason, and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was among those departures, after he joined the Buffalo Bills on a one-year deal that's worth up to $6 million.
While Gardner-Johnson gave the Bears some juice in the secondary, there is a legitimate chance he may struggle for the Bills, which could grab the attention of some fans in Chicago.
Gardner-Johnson Could Have Some Issues with the Bills After Leaving Chicago in FA
During his time in the Windy City, Gardner-Johnson was a chess piece for this secondary, lining up in both the slot and in the box. In 10 games (7 starts), Gardner-Johnson had 269 snaps in the box and 390 snaps in the slot. He finished with 51 total tackles, 5 TFLs, 4 pass deflections, 3 sacks, and 2 interceptions.
Despite making plays for the Bears' defense and giving them an influx of juice on the field, he had his fair share of troubles. On Pro Football Focus, he finished with an overall grade of 51.6 (86th among 98 graded safeties), a coverage grade of 45.6 (87th among 98 graded safeties), and a run-defense grade of 65.5 (69th among 98 graded safeties). In addition, he gave up 36 catches (54 targets) for 356 receiving yards and three scores.
Gardner-Johnson struggled in a Bears defense that was one of the most instinctive units in the league last year. Chicago led the NFL in takeaways (33), but the Bills were tied for 24th in total takeaways (20). Buffalo made some changes to its staff, hiring Jim Leonhard to be the defensive coordinator.
Despite the changes, Gardner-Johnson could be in line for a significant role for the Bills. While unofficial, ESPN's Bills depth chart lists Gardner-Johnson as the starter at nickel corner. He will have to beat out Dee Alford to earn the starting role, but regardless, the Bills' defense doesn't have the same caliber of ball hawks that Chicago did.
Buffalo recorded 13 interceptions in 2025, but four of them came from defensive linemen and linebackers. That isn't ideal and shows that's an area where they need to improve. Meanwhile, the Bills were tied for 27th in the NFL in team sacks (36) last season. That means defensive backs will need to hold up in coverage longer, which is an area where Gardner-Johnson has had some difficulties.
Gardner-Johnson decided to leave the Bears, but it doesn't mean he'll be able to provide the same spark in Buffalo that he did in Chicago.