No other part of the Philadelphia Eagles' roster was more significantly impacted than the defense during the offseason.
The Eagles lost many key players, including Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, Isaiah Rodgers, Darius Slay, James Bradberry, Avonte Maddox, and Oren Burks to name a few. One other key loss they had was safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
Philadelphia traded Gardner-Johnson and a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Houston Texans for guard Kenyon Green and a 2025 fifth-round pick. Gardner-Johnson was an essential piece to the Eagles' defense, serving as the emotional leader of the unit.
Some experts believe his loss will be felt more than that of any other player on the Eagles entering 2025.
Eagles impacted by Gardner-Johnson loss, but there is hope
NFL.com writer Nick Shook shared his list of the player departures that will have the most impact on their former teams in the new season. Gardner-Johnson was named for the Eagles, but there is a replacement who can make the Eagles forget about him.
"Gardner-Johnson has not played for the same team in consecutive years since 2020-2021, when he was on his rookie deal with the Saints, but he helped the Eagles win a Super Bowl last season in his second stint with the team. Fresh off a championship, Philadelphia traded him to the Texans with budgetary concerns in mind. Moves like that one can help the Eagles remain competitive, but such deals only work if the replacements produce. Enter Texas product Andrew Mukuba-- a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft -- who might be asked to step in and fill the void right away. It will be no easy task, even on a talented defense. Meanwhile, Gardner-Johnson will aim to follow up a career-best season with a stellar campaign as a member of the Texans, where he’s joining one of the best secondaries in the NFL."
Gardner-Johnson returned to the Eagles last season in free agency, as he only played one season with the team after also being on the team in 2022. In 16 games, he made 59 tackles, a team-leading six interceptions, two tackles for loss, one interception for a touchdown, and one forced fumble.
Replacing him could be Mukuba, who had a stellar final season with the Texas Longhorns. He racked up 69 tackles, four tackles for loss, seven pass breakups, and one forced fumble in 15 games. His five interceptions tied for fifth in the nation, helping him land on the third-team All-SEC team.
The starting safety job is not guaranteed for Mukuba. Reed Blankenship will hold one of the spots, and the other could very well go to Sydney Brown. It will be one of the top training camp position battles this season in Philadelphia.
Mukuba is everything Gardner-Johnson is in pass coverage, as he is an aggressive ball-hawk who can create turnovers. He's a bit undersized, and the Eagles will have to build him up in strength.
Philadelphia will have a fascinating battle between Brown and Mukuba in training camp, but expect Mukuba to eventually be one of the starters in the Eagles' secondary soon.
