On Tuesday morning, the Philadelphia Eagles made one of the more shocking trades of the offseason. The Eagles traded veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and a draft pick to the Houston Texans for Kenyon Green and a draft pick.
Eagles fans were admittedly shocked by the trade as the team re-signed Johnson last offseason to a three-year, $27 million contract after spending the 2023 season with the Detroit Lions on a one-year deal.
Gardner-Johnson played an integral role in Vic Fangio’s scheme this past season in his second stint with the ball club, helping the team win its second Super Bowl in franchise history. After the trade was reported, the veteran defender took to Twitter to thank the fans for their support.
“I love you Philly, we forever champions,” Johnson said.
Not too long after that initial tweet, Johnson posted a longer message on Twitter. Once again, the veteran thanked the fans, the city, his teammates, coaches and front office.
It won’t be easy to replace Gardner-Johnson, who placed with a fire and edge, which the Eagles missed in 2023 when he was in Detroit. The veteran defensive back had 59 combined tackles, 12 pass deflections, six interceptions (one defensive touchdown), two tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.
He also had a 62.2 completion percentage allowed on targets and an 89.0 pass rating allowed when targeted but gave up eight touchdowns.
With Gardner-Johnson on his way out, the Eagles must have a good backup plan to fill his void on defense. Currently, the Eagles have Sydney Brown, Tristin McCollum, and Lewis Cine as possible replacements for Gardner-Johnson.
However, it would not be shocking to see the team add someone in free agency or address the position in the draft, which they did at cornerback last year with the selections of Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.