Eagles May Regret C.J. Gardner-Johnson Trade with Houston Texans

The Houston Texans added a major name to their secondary this offseason in the form of former Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

After a season of being a weekly starter in the Eagles' safety unit along with a Super Bowl victory to pair alongside it, Gardner-Johnson saw his time in Philadelphia come to an end as he was traded over to the Texans in exchange for former first-round pick Kenyon Green and a draft pick swap.

All in all, it was an intriguing, yet surprising move to see the Eagles ship off their starting safety after reuniting for one season, but could Philadelphia's decision to move off of Gardner-Johnson end up as one of the most significant losses of this offseason?

In the eyes of NFL.com's Nick Shook, that could be the case.

Shook recently broke down 13 of the NFL's biggest impact departures for teams faced across this offseason–– a list that included the likes of Russell Wilson for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Joey Bosa for the Los Angles Chargers, and of course, C.J. Gardner-Johnson for the Eagles.

"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," Shook wrote. "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."

The Gardner-Johnson move does two things. On one hand, it puts a ton of pressure on the Eagles' new core of safeties to produce at a similar, championship-level quality for the season ahead– a starting duo led by Andrew Mukbuka and Reed Blankenship.

On another, it could be the final piece needed in this Texans secondary to elevate this group to one of, if not the best unit in the entire NFL. Headlined by not only Gardner-Johnson in the backend, but also a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in Derek Stingley Jr., and 2024 second-round pick Kamari Lassiter.

For a Texans defense that was already ranked amongst the top ten units in the league last season, Gardner-Johnson factors in as a dangerous addition, and one that could be an impact playmaker as soon as Week One of the year.

Don't be shocked if you see this Texans defense take yet another step forward for the 2025 season, perhaps with Gardner-Johnson being that piece to truly push that side of the ball over the top.