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Houston Texans Release Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson



Right now, the biggest thing failing the Houston Texans’ 2025 season is their 2025 offseason. With a couple of rare exceptions, every button that GM Nick Caserio has pushed leading up to this season is either stuck or has been the wrong button pushed.

The offensive line, stocked with journeymen and a rookie left tackle, has been a disaster. This was the biggest area that needed fixing in the offseason, and it is far from fixed. The ripple effect has led to a subpar run game, and C.J. Stroud’s chances at a second contract teetering on the brink. To be fair, the offensive line, and the offense as a whole, may get better with time.

On Tuesday, though, it was another category of failure in offseason decisions, as the team decided to release starting safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson just three games into the season. Gardner-Johnson was acquired in a trade for guard Kenyon Green, right before the Eagles were about to cut him for salary cap purposes.

Caserio, likely with heavy input from DeMeco Ryans, decided to send Green (plus a Day 3 pick swap) to Philly, and inherit Gardner-Johnson’s contract, around $19 million over the remaining two years. The trade ensured that Gardner-Johnson, and his very mercurial personality, would be playing for his fifth different team in Week 1 over the last five seasons.

In other words, C.J. Gardner-Johnson is a handful, and everybody knew it. The Texans took a swing, and they missed. Here are some of the particulars, and a few thoughts on the latest Texans fiasco in a season full of them, so far.

How did we get here?
Well, where to begin? Look, when a starter on an NFL team gets cut three weeks into the season, there is obviously something going on behind the scenes. While Gardner-Johnson had not played well in these three games (more on that in a moment), if it were just his level of play, he’d get benched, not cut. Therefore, it was not a surprise when multiple reports began rolling in, just minutes after the Texans released Gardner-Johnson, that he had been openly critical of teammates, complaining about one teammate’s contract, and requesting a trade. In short, Gardner-Johnson was checking every box for a guy you DO NOT want on an 0-3 football team. It was time to eject.

What plays got him cut?
In addition to the behind the scenes drama, Gardner-Johnson had multiple coverage busts (likely from choosing to go against the game plan) over the three games so far this season, where the end result of the plays contributed HEAVILY to losses, including the 46 yard catch and run by Brian Thomas to set up the Jags’ winning touchdown on Sunday:

If you want a further breakdown of plays that Gardner-Johnson bungled against the Rams in Week 1, and the Bucs in Week 2, D.J. Bien-Aime of ESPN.com has you covered here:

What’s the solution?
In the short term, the Texans will move veteran M.J. Stewart into the starting lineup alongside Calen Bullock at safety. I would guess they will also elevate Myles Bryant and Jalen Mills from the practice squad this week. Longer term, the team could get rookie Jaylen Reed back from injured reserve in the coming weeks, and perhaps veteran safety Jimmie Ward, whose legal issues from an alleged domestic assault appear resolved, could return from the PUP list in the weeks to come. This is not ideal, but it’s not like Gardner-Johnson was giving them much in terms of quality play anyway.

Are you having flashbacks?
I’ll just let my tweet do the talking here:

The Houston Texans host the Tennessee Titans on Sunday at noon at NRG Stadium. Both teams are 0-3 to start the season.

Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.



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