The Philadelphia Eagles have dealt with their fair share of issues in the secondary through three games. Some offseason additions haven't met the expectations the franchise had for them to start the 2025 season, leaving fans wondering whether every veteran to hit the open market may be the answer in Philadelphia.
This is part of the reason why the Houston Texans' surprising decision to release veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson has piqued the interest of Eagles fans. While he didn't leave the franchise on the best of terms, a segment of the fan base believes a reunion with CJGJ would help address some of these problems on the defensive side of the ball.
Regardless of which side of the fence you fall on in that argument, head coach Nick Sirianni looks to have already decided against pursuing Gardner-Johnson. As he explained on Wednesday, rookie second-round pick Andrew Mukuba is the biggest reason why.
Eagles Hint Mukuba is Why They'll Pass on CJ Gardner-Johnson Reunion
"I'm really excited about the (safety) room we have," Sirianni said, via Brandon Lee Gowtin of Bleeding Green. "I think they've done a really nice job to date. Got a good young player in Andrew Mukuba, who continues to get better. I think having Reed (Blankenship) next to him is helping him get better... So, just really excited about that room. Sydney (Brown)'s doing a really good job. Doing a good job on special teams and doing some work on defense as well. I'm really excited about that group and pleased with that group."
There is no doubt that Mukumba has made his presence felt at the safety spot since taking that starting job. With the 13 tackles, one interception, and 0.5 sacks to his name, he's wasted no time impressing Eagles fans. Additionally, his 78.4 pass rush and 79.3 run defense grades rank sixth- and 13th-best, respectively, out of 123 safeties on Pro Football Focus.
It is worth noting that at no point in this response does Sirianni, flat-out, say no to signing Gardner-Johnson. With the way injuries can pile up on the gridiron, it would be foolish to completely rule out the possibility of a reunion. That being said, Sirianni isn't doing anything that will silence the critics of the team, as he knows the locker room better than anyone.
There is also the matter of whether Philadelphia is even eligible to sign Gardner-Johnson under league rules. While some outlets have run with reporting that such a move will not be allowed, due to the NFL's collective bargaining agreement, further reporting has clarified that is not the case, and the Eagles could land Gardner-Johnson on a new deal if they so please.
Should Mukuba take over the reins at the safety spot opposite Blankenship, he will wind up adding another layer of the defense, and likely force Gardner-Johnson to look elsewhere for his next NFL contract.