The Houston Texans made an intriguing addition to the back end of their defense earlier this offseason with the pickup of former Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
Coming fresh off of a Super Bowl victory this past February, Gardner-Johnson comes into the fold thanks to a trade to get him to Houston in exchange for a package centering around former first round guard Kenyon Green. Now, he gives the Texans another impact, veteran player at the safety position for the year ahead, and could be one to take this group to the next level.
And while Gardner-Johnson and the Texans haven't even hit the motions of training camp, he's already begun to make a noticeable impression on some of his teammates.
The latest to dish some positive comments on Gardner-Johnson and his addition into the Houston defense comes from Texans' edge rusher Will Anderson Jr., who shared his thoughs on the team's newest acquisition at safety, along with how he's already made his presence felt in the building.
"I tell people all the time: you have to have a guy like that in the locker room. He keeps everybody on their toes, he brings the juice, he brings the energy, and you can tell he really loves ball. Like, people feed off of that type of energy... That's what makes a team get hyped. That's what makes us go out there, keep wanting to play, and keep building that team camaraderie. He has that factor to him, man. Just knowing him so far, getting to training with him, working with him, and being in the spaces that we be in, he's been a phenomenal pick up for us. I'm excited to go play with him."
Gardner-Johnson has the chops to be a huge difference-maker in this Texans' secondary for the year ahead. During his last season of production in Philadelphia, he finished starting in 16 games to collect 59 total tackles, 12 PBUs, logging six interceptions in the process.
If he can bring any shade of that standout play to his new situation in Houston paired with an intense, motivating impact in that Texans' locker room, it'll be more than clear in due time that this front office made a major home run in his acquisition.
