The Houston Texans didn't make a whole lot of significant moves during the offseason, as they were incredibly limited by financial constraints.
However, the Texans did make one particularly notable defensive addition, swinging a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles for defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
Houston's secondary was already loaded as it was, so bringing Gardner-Johnson — a Super Bowl champion — aboard makes it that much deeper.
The problem is that Gardner-Johnson was not presence at Texans organized team activities this past week, which obviously caused quite a stir. Why was a new player not at OTAs?
But Gardner-Johnson has made sure to respond to any critics, revealing that he has been hard at work in a recent social media post.
Here's the thing about organized team activities: they are entirely voluntary, and a bunch of veterans around the NFL skip them. Gardner-Johnson is not exactly a trail blazer in that regard.
That being said, most would expect a player joining a new team to be present at offseason workouts just to get a feel for the system and to meet his new teammates.
Gardner-Johnson played in 16 games last season, racking up 59 tackles, six interceptions and 12 passes defended. The 27-year-old was originally selected by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft and has enjoyed a steady career ever since.
Houston ranked sixth in pass defense last year, and thanks to returning a defensive backfield full of stars and a new acquisition in Gardner-Johnson, it should once again be dominant in 2025.
