The Bills have moved on from C.J. Gardner-Johnson, cutting ties with the safety after his one-game suspension for spitting toward Raiders tight end Brock Bowers.
Buffalo signed Gardner-Johnson in March to a one-year, $3.5 million deal, but the fit never lasted long. Jordan Schultz was first to report the release, and now the veteran defender is out after just six games with the team.
Gardner-Johnson’s run in Buffalo added another stop to a nomadic stretch that has seen him bounce around the league since the start of the 2022 season. After his first three NFL seasons with the Saints, the team that drafted him, he has also been with the Eagles, Lions, Eagles, Texans, Bears, and Bills, and he has not stayed with any of those teams for consecutive seasons.
The issues in Buffalo went beyond the suspension. Gardner-Johnson struggled badly as a tackler, and entering Week 9, his 25.7% missed tackle rate was the highest in the NFL among qualifying safeties.
His stat line with the Bills included 26 tackles, two pass breakups, and one interception.
The release also doesn’t come out of nowhere based on how the safety room has shaped up around him. Damar Hamlin has given Buffalo solid work next to Cole Bishop this season, posting 23 tackles, one pass breakup, and a 4.2% missed tackle rate. Geno Stone also flashed in a brief look against the Ravens in Week 8, leading the team with six tackles on just 19 snaps.
There are also younger options waiting for a bigger role. Jalon Kilgore and Jordan Hancock are both in the mix, with Hancock presumably set to be activated from IR relatively soon. Te’Cory Couch has also made his case, turning in a good game against the Ravens and showing he can handle the slot or move to safety if needed.
With the trade deadline coming up a week from today on November 10, there has already been plenty of speculation that Buffalo could still look for a veteran safety to line up alongside Bishop.
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Gardner-Johnson appeared in six games for the Bills and finished with one interception, two passes defended and 26 tackles, a line that hinted at impact without enough consistency to keep him in the rotation. For a defense that values steadiness and communication, the release reads less like a reaction to one incident and more like a judgment on how the fit was going overall. [Read more 🡒]