The Houston Texans are more than set at defensive back. They possess a loaded secondary.
The Texans’ secondary has proven itself time and again over the last few years, but one former Houston defensive back could not make it work during his time with the team.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson is no longer a Texans player. There are several rumored reasons for why he could have had to leave, but he insists some of the rumors are not true. Gardner-Johnson cleared the air on why he believes the Texans parted ways with him. He says it wasn’t because he was concerned with how much other players were making.
“That’s a lie. I never said (anything) about nobody’s contract. I’m on a $33 million deal. Why would I talk about somebody’s contract? … If y’all going to cut me, cut me. But I’ll give nobody reasons to cut me. I haven’t. I don’t. I’m not a cancer. There’s nobody in this locker room that says, ‘Chauncey’s a problem.’ The media loves me.
The only thing that’ll do it is something that triggers somebody that has a say in the building that can alter somebody else’s mind. That happens every time. That’s how I got (cut) in Houston. One person that’s not technically a part of the organization called me a B-word at Greenbrier. I get out my body; he says something to the GM, and the next thing I’m cut.”
Gardner-Johnson story may seem farfetched, but that does not mean it is not true. Even so, there are other reasonable interpretations for why Gardner-Johnson was released from the team. Among them, as Benedetto Vitale suggests, that he “struggled to learn the defensive scheme put forth by head coach Demeco Ryans.” That suggestion seems more plausible.
No matter how you slice it, it appears that Gardner-Johnson and the Texans are better off without one another. The veteran defensive player enjoyed a resurgence after joining the Chicago Bears in the middle of last season. The Texans also took off after Gardner-Johnson left the team.
Sometimes a player simply is not a great fit for a team. And perhaps that’s the real truth behind why the two successful parties did not work well enough in tandem. That said, there does not appear to be any love lost between Gardner-Johnson and the individual he suggests called him a derogatory name.
The Texans secondary will look to have another successful campaign in 2026.
