It's not usual to see a team move on from one of their best defensive players right after he helped them win the Super Bowl. However, the Philadelphia Eagles aren't like most teams, and general manager Howie Roseman has never been afraid to think outside of the box and take some risks.
Of course, those decisions can't all be home runs. And after watching the team throughout the first half of the 2025 NFL season, it seems like the decision to trade veteran defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans may have been a big swing-and-miss.
Eagles Have Missed C.J. Gardner-Johnson This Season
The Eagles are 6-2 for the season, but their defense has been average at best. They rank near the middle of the pack in total yards allowed per game (336.3, 23rd), passing yards allowed per game (215.9, 17th), and rushing yards allowed per game (120.4, 19th). They also rank 19th in the league in points allowed at 23.1.
While their pass-rushing woes have something to do with that, the Eagles also haven't gotten much from their safeties. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio hasn't sounded too happy with rookie Andrew Mukuba, and while he's had Reed Blankenship's back, he hasn't been much better, either. Mukuba holds a 52.6 Pro Football Focus grade, ranking 76th out of 90 eligible safeties, and Blankenship is even worse at 42.3, the fifth-lowest in the league.
Gardner-Johnson had six interceptions for this team last season, which is more than the Eagles' total in the first eight games of the year (5). He's a well-known ball hawk, and the Eagles have lacked that ability to flip the field this season.
The Eagles have also struggled to find a reliable cornerback to complement Cooper Dejean and Quinyon Mitchell, and Gardner-Johnson is dynamic enough to play all over the defensive line, so he could've been another feasible alternative to Kelee Ringo or Adoree' Jackson.
Gardner-Johnson's departure is even more frustrating since the trade return from the Texans didn't exactly do much for the Eagles. Veteran offensive guard Kenyon Green didn't even play a game for Philly before he was waived in the last week of September — the third and final time he was cut by the franchise since August began.
Granted, Gardner-Johnson's character issues have come back to haunt him. The Houston Texans gave up on him early in the season, and he's now with his fourth team in two years after being released by the Baltimore Ravens and signing with the Chicago Bears.
But at the end of the day, he was a valuable piece on a Super Bowl-winning team, and judging by the way his successors have fared, one can only wonder if the Eagles wouldn't be much better if they had stuck with him. Hopefully, everyone in the secondary does their part down the stretch to help Philadelphia avoid feeling any regret.