C.J. Gardner-Johnson doesn’t want to make his return to Philadelphia about him.
The Bears’ slot cornerback spent last season with the Eagles, winning a Super Bowl before the team traded him to the Texans for offensive lineman Kenyon Green and a swap of draft picks.
“Won a championship there,” he said after Sunday’s game. “Other than that, I appreciate ‘em.”
Gardner-Johnson doesn’t want the focus to be on him facing off against the team for whom he started 16 games in his only season
“That ain’t about me,” he said. “Like I told y’all when I got here, it’s about the team. If they wanna start some stuff with me … hey, you gotta deal with 53 other people.”
Gardner-Johnson told “The Pivot” podcast in July the Eagles traded him because they were “scared of a competitor.” The Texans cut Gardner-Johnson in September, and a practice-squad stint in Baltimore lasted a week.
Gardner-Johnson has excelled since the Bears signed him a month ago, though. After recording three sacks in his first two games, Gardner-Johnson has helped make up for injuries to the Bears’ linebackers. With the team more eager to play nickel and dime coverages, Gardner-Johnson played 100% of the Bears defensive snaps against the Vikings and 90% against the Steelers.
Wrong or Wright?
Nahshon Wright is tied for the NFL lead with five interceptions, but could be the odd man out when the Bears get their other cornerbacks healthy. Jaylon Johnson (groin) and Kyler Gordon (calf) have both returned to practice and could be lifted off injured reserve as soon as Friday’s game against the Eagles.
Bears coach Ben Johnson called Wright’s leaping interception in the first quarter “one of the most athletic plays and phenomenal catches I’ve seen a long time” and said he’s “playing sound football … run game and pass game included.”
The recurring injury to Tyrique Stevenson’s hip may make the question moot. The Bears could hold Johnson and Gordon out another week, too. Johnson smiled when asked how he’ll weigh Wright’s season-long effort whenever the Bears do have a decision to make.
“That’s the fun part, isn’t it?” he said. “He’s done a phenomenal job, and I think he has certainly earned playing time.
