Eagles Defense Gets A Boost With Addition Of Safety Off Injury Report

Philadelphia's defense won't have to adjust to losing a veteran safety when they play the Saints on Sunday.

Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson / Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

C.J. Gardner-Johnson will get his homecoming after all.

The Eagles safety was listed as questionable on Friday’s injury report, but he went through his workout at the Superdome and the foot issue that arose during Thursday’s practice is good enough to allow him to play against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

Gardner-Johnson was selected by the Saints in the fourth round of the 2019 draft, the 105th player taken overall. He spent three seasons in New Orleans making 31 starts before being traded to the Eagles in 2022 for a 2025 seventh-round pick, a 2023 fifth-round choice, and the later of the Eagles’ two 2024 sixth-round selections.

He seemed to have a chip on his shoulder about the Saints dealing him when he told reporters earlier in the week: “They got rid of me. I didn't get rid of them. So hey, we'll see y'all Sunday.”

Head coach Nick Sirianni said Gardner-Johnson “tweaked something” during Thursday’s practice.

The Eagles will still be without receiving star A.J. Brown, who will miss his second straight game with a hamstring injury. Brown was ruled out on Friday.

Having Gardner-Johnson back means the Eagles can continue to play rookie Quinyon Mitchell on the outside and leave Avonte Maddox in the slot if they choose. That is what they had done in the season's first two games.

In his first season with the Eagles, Gardner Johnson tied for the NFL lead in interceptions with six despite missing five games with a lacerated kidney. He helped get the Eagles to Super Bowl LVII.

He left for the Lions in free agency after that season but returned on a three-year deal this past offseason.

Gardner-Johnson made a key tackle on a fourth-and-one run against Bijan Robinson last week. The tackle should have been one of the keys to the teams’ win, except the Falcons came back in the final two minutes with a 70-yard scoring drive to steal a 22-21 on Monday night.

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