Texans' CJ Gardner-Johnson Stunner Could Help Saints
The New Orleans Saints have a need at safety after losing Julian Blackmon likely for the rest of the 2025 National Football League season.
Blackmon tore his labrum after playing just one game for New Orleans this season. The Saints need to find a replacement and a high-level player is out there for the taking right now with experience in New Orleans. That is CJ Gardner-Johnson.
He won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles last year and then was traded to the Houston Texans. He started the first three games of the season for Houston but was shockingly released on Tuesday, as shared by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
"Sources: The Texans are releasing S C. J. Gardner-Johnson. A surprise," Rapoport said.
ESPN's Adam Schefter also shared the news.
The New Orleans Saints should reunite with CJ Gardner-Johnson
Gardner-Johnson is a very talented player. He's a seven-year NFL veteran and has spent time with the Saints, Eagles, Detroit Lions, and Texans. The Saints have a clear need at safety with Blackmon out for the season. Because of this, the Saints should go out and get Gardner-Johnson as fast as possible.
There's a real argument that the secondary has been the Saints' biggest weakness so far this season. It doesn't help that Blackmon went down. Gardner-Johnson was drafted by the Saints in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He spent the first three seasons of his career with the Saints before heading to the Eagles before the 2022 season.
Last year, he won a Super Bowl with Kellen Moore. Moore now is the head coach of the Saints and there's clearly a need. New Orleans has just over $8 million in cap space right now, per Over The Cap.
In three games this season, Gardner-Johnson had 15 total tackles, one quarterback hit, and hasn't allowed a touchdown in coverage yet. He allowed eight catches on 12 targets for 99 yards in his three games with the Texans. He's out there for the taking and the Saints should take advantage.
Mike Evans out multiple weeks with a hamstring injury, forcing Bucs rookie Emeka Egbuka into WR1 role
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Evans left Sunday's game against the New York Jets after tweaking his hamstring in the fourth quarter. Early reports from head coach Todd Bowles said the injury was "low-grade," but according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, and after MRI results Tuesday morning, the Bucs now know they'll be without Evans for multiple weeks.
This hamstring injury doesn't seem to be as bad as the one that caused Evans to miss time last season but the timeline for his recovery has not been determined.
Evans limped off the field in the fourth quarter of the Buccaneers' win over the Jets and did not return. The six-time Pro Bowler has a history of hamstring injuries, having missed three games last season after injuring his right hamstring against Baltimore. Last year, it was Evans' right hamstring, the same one he hurt in 2019 when he also missed three games.
This time, Evans injured his left hamstring, but the team is likely to proceed with caution since he's had an issue with these injuries in the past.
A model of consistency is what Evans has been for the Buccaneers since he was selected in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Already this season, Evans has 14 catches for 140 yards and one touchdown, which he caught in Sunday's victory.
In his first 11 NFL seasons, Evans has racked up at least 1,004 receiving yards every year. He's never appeared in fewer than 13 regular-season games and has caught double-digit touchdown passes in six of his 11 seasons. Evans was a huge part of Tampa Bay's Super Bowl run in the 2020 season, becoming Tom Brady's safety blanket and No. 1 target.
With Evans out of the lineup, more of the receiving load will fall on rookie wideout Emeka Egbuka and veteran Sterling Shepard. Chris Godwin Jr. could also make his season debut in Week 4 after recovering from a serious ankle injury suffered in Week 7 last season. Egbuka has managed 181 receiving yards and three touchdowns through the first three games of the season.
Evans is the Buccaneers' all-time leading scorer and is in his 12th NFL season.
