C.J. Gardner-Johnson is back on the field, back on track, and already circling Week 1.
The Bills safety returned to practice on Thursday after sitting out a few days with a calf injury, and if he stays healthy from here, he should be lined up for his regular season debut in Buffalo against the Texans.
That matchup carries extra weight for Gardner-Johnson. Houston was where he opened last season, but his stint there lasted only three games before the Texans moved on after a reported altercation with teammates following a 17-10 loss to the Jaguars in Week 3. Texans coach DeMeco Ryans didn’t spell out the details at the time, saying only that he believed the move was best for the team.
Gardner-Johnson has already made it clear this summer that he believes something involving “ the GM’s friend ” during training camp helped push things in that direction, and there was also talk about him not being the defensive fit Houston wanted. Whatever the full story was, his time with the Texans was short and messy, and he didn’t hide Thursday that the reunion is on his mind.
“It’s a good team. Not saying nothing on the front office or the staff, but the players . . . they are good,” Gardner-Johnson said, via Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com.
“All the bulls-t that came out, it was lies, but whatever. I just can’t wait to see ‘em. . . .
Be adults about the business. We here, we grown men, we all got kids.
A five-second phone call don’t justify nothing. And I feel like I need some respect, but I don’t care for it no more.”
Buffalo won’t have to wait long for another familiar face either. In Week 2, the Lions come to town for the first game in the new Highmark Stadium, giving Gardner-Johnson a second straight shot at one of his former teams. If the Bills start with two wins, it would be a pretty strong way for him to kick off his run in Buffalo.
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