Baltimore Beatdown
The Ravens are signing former Eagles and Texans safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to their practice squad, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The seven-year veteran has logged 64 starts in his career with experience as a free safety, dimebacker, and nickel defender. He will add depth to an injured Ravens secondary that could use help at all three positions.
Gardner-Johnson began the 2025 season with the Texans but was released after three games due to tension in the locker room. He reportedly created tension in Houston’s locker room by criticizing his teammates and expressing frustration with his role, despite the unit’s strong start to the year.
The Texans were so anxious to move on from Gardner-Johnson that they released him before exploring a trade and absorbed $8.25 million of dead money in the process. (In a poor bit of financial planning, Houston actually restructured Gardner-Johnson’s contract the week before he was released, raising his dead cap charge significantly.)
The Ravens are no stranger to disgruntled safeties after benching Marcus Williams and Eddie Jackson in 2024, and their injuries greatly reduce their ability to be picky about available talent. Gardner-Johnson has the resume of a starting NFL safety and could legitimately play a role right away in Baltimore.
This article will be updated with more information.
