Ex-Eagles safety and Super Bowl champion C.J. Gardner-Johnson will face his former team with the Chicago Bears on Friday.
Philadelphia Eagles S Reed Blankenship and Philadelphia Eagles S C.J. Gardner-Johnson celebrate a 31-7 win against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship at Lincoln Financial Field, Sunday, Jan.
29, 2023. The Eagles will play in Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12.C.J. Gardner-Johnson, a key cog in last year’s Super Bowl LIX run, will return to south Philly as a member of the Bears — and he’ll do so against the backdrop of the Eagles now needing a playmaker like Gardner-Johnson at safety. Up in the coaches’ box, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio will be managing a secondary without starter Andrew Mukuba, who fractured his foot in Sunday’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys. And on the visitor’s sideline will be Gardner-Johnson, a player who the Eagles traded away and could use right about now — a player who has shined with his new team. “I’m glad that he’s doing well,” safety Reed Blankenship said Tuesday at the NovaCare Complex. “I love to see him play regardless of where he’s at. He’s dominating.” Gardner-Johnson, a mercurial and sometimes controversial player, has made a positive impression since signing with Chicago last month. In four games, the 27-year-old has totaled 20 tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble. The Bears are 4-0 since he’s joined. “They’re playing great ball. Chauncey went over there and made an immediate impact,” Jalen Hurts said when asked about Gardner-Johnson and safety Kevin Byard, another former Eagle. “They complement their scheme well. Really good defense. They’ve been very disruptive.” Gardner-Johnson was disruptive in a different way, though, en route to landing with the Bears, his fourth team since March. Gardner-Johnson had two stints with the Eagles in the last six seasons. He made 79 tackles in 2022, helping the Birds reach Super Bowl LVIII. In 2024, he returned and made 73 stops across 20 games for the Super Bowl champions. Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean celebrates with safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson after intercepting a pass and scoring a touchdown during the first half of the NFL Super Bowl 59 football game, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans. But after winning Super Bowl LIX, the Eagles traded Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans. The move was made to clear cap space, but he didn’t see it that way. Gardner-Johnson told “The Pivot” podcast that the Eagles traded him because they were “scared of a competitor.” He didn’t last long with the Texans. Gardner-Johnson was released on Sept. 23 after playing in just three games and becoming a “locker room issue” in Houston. On Oct. 7, Gardner-Johnson was signed by the Baltimore Ravens. On Oct. 14, he was cut by the Ravens in an “amicable mutual decision” after not being elevated from the practice squad. Now, Gardner-Johnson is back with Dennis Allen, the Bears’ defensive coordinator who was the head coach of the New Orleans Saints when they drafted him in 2019. And he’s thriving. “He actually texted me night, and we caught up a little bit,” Blankenship said. “I’m proud of what he’s doing. I’ve always respected him as a player, especially as a brother. I still believe that we’re family.” Asked what they talked about, Blankenship said: “It was just catching up. How’s the fam? How have you been? How’s your mental? It was back and forth. It was great to catch up with him.” Blankenship, who started alongside Gardner-Johnson all of last year, got a new running mate when the Eagles drafted Mukuba in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft. That partnership was growing as the season progressed; Blankenship and Mukuba worked in tandem in the back-end to help solidify one of the best defenses in the NFL. But Mukuba’s injury, one that could keep him out for the rest of the season, will put Sydney Brown, the 2023 third-round pick tasked with starting in his place, in the spotlight. How Brown performs for the Eagles and how Gardner-Johnson looks against his former team will be watched closely on Friday. So will Gardner-Johnson’s demeanor. “If emotions run high, they run high,” Blankenship said with a smile. “He’s a great ball player, and he plays with that emotion. But I’m glad he’s doing well.”Johnny covers the Philadelphia Eagles and Penn State football for PennLive. He has covered college football and Penn State professionally since 2016, with stops at the Centre Daily Times and Pittsburgh...
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