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.