The Pittsburgh Steelers have a secondary problem, and the recent release of C.J. Gardner-Johnson does not look like the fix.
Pittsburgh’s defense has opened the season strong, allowing the sixth-fewest yards per game, but the back end still needs help. The front seven has been doing a lot of the heavy lifting, and with the Steelers trying to give quarterback Aaron Rodgers that magical fairy-tale ending to his NFL career, upgrades before the NFL Trade Deadline are part of the conversation.
That’s why Gardner-Johnson’s name surfaced after the Buffalo Bills cut him loose. The veteran safety has 93 games of NFL experience and a Super Bowl on his résumé, which naturally made him a talking point online. When one fan, using the X handle @jes6979, asked NFL analyst Jon Ledyard about a possible Steelers fit, the question was simple:
@LedyardNFLDraft any fit for Gardner-Johnson for the Steelers secondary?
It’s an understandable idea on paper, but the fit falls apart quickly. The Steelers need help, but not this kind of help on the active roster. Between the inconsistency he’s shown in recent seasons and his tendency to get into on-field altercations, he doesn’t look like the kind of addition Pittsburgh should be chasing.
Even setting aside the suspension that followed his recent incident, the production hasn’t been all that convincing. By the eye test, he looks like a rotational player at best right now, and the numbers back that up.
Pro Football Reference shows he has been targeted 21 times in coverage, with quarterbacks completing 13 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown. Receivers are averaging 13.8 yards per catch against him, though he does have one interception and two passes defended in six games.
The biggest red flag is the tackling. Pro Football Reference credits Gardner-Johnson with six missed tackles and an 18.8% missed-tackle rate.
That’s not exactly the profile Pittsburgh needs. The Steelers have their own issues in the secondary, allowing the 17th-most passing yards per game so far this season, and they already have six defenders with a missed-tackle rate of 10% or higher.
There’s also the special teams piece, or lack of one. Gardner-Johnson has played zero special teams snaps this season, and since the 2022 campaign he has only 13 special teams snaps total. That matters for a team looking for functional help, not just a name.
None of this means Gardner-Johnson can’t still help an NFL defense. He can.
But for Pittsburgh, he doesn’t check the boxes that matter. He doesn’t bring special teams value, he doesn’t tackle consistently, and he gives up too many big plays.
If the Steelers were simply looking for a practice squad flier, Gardner-Johnson would make more sense. As a solution to a real need, he doesn’t look like the answer.
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