Sportsnaut
After a 0-3 start, it’s safe to say that not much has gone right for the Houston Texans at the start of the season. Though, one undeniable fact is that their defense, which has allowed the fifth fewest points in the NFL, is playing extremely well. Of course, it wouldn’t be a good sign for head coach DeMeco Ryans if his defense wasn’t playing well, considering that’s the former NFL linebacker’s expertise.
Still, when teams are playing well, we often see them take the approach of, ‘If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.’ But not the Texans.
On Tuesday, the Texans shockingly released 27-year-old starting safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. It comes as a major surprise, considering he’s started all three of the team’s games thus far.
Plus, the Texans just traded for CGJ back in March, giving up a fifth-round pick, plus offensive guard Kenyon Green in the process. As mentioned, he was a big part of the defense, playing 65 out of a possible 70 snaps in Sunday’s loss, so what changed since then?
For one, the Texans just reinstated safety Jimmie Ward back to the roster after his felony domestic violence case was “no-billed” by a grand jury. However, he’s still rehabbing a foot injury and has yet to practice with the team. He’s still on the Physically Unable to Perform list, so the 34-year-old won’t even be able to play in time for Sunday’s Texans game.
Yet, there could be bigger factors at play here.
According to KPRC’s Aaron Wilson, there was “friction behind the scenes” between Gardner-Johnson in Houston. He reportedly had been “complaining about his role and wanted to blitz more.” It got to a point where he wanted to be traded, and now he got his wish by being able to select his next team.
M.J. Stewart is expected to take over for Gardner-Johnson in the starting lineup for now, but it’s possible Ward will eventually be replacing him too.
Gardner-Johnson recorded 15 tackles and three QB hits across three games. Last year, he started 16 games and recorded six interceptions while helping the Philadelphia Eagles win Super Bowl LIX. We imagine it won’t be long until he latches on with a new team, which makes one wonder why the Texans weren’t able to trade him for something of value, even a seventh-round pick.
Related: NFL Defense Rankings 2025: Evaluating all 32 Defenses, Week 4 Fantasy Defense Rankings
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