CJ Gardner-Johnson was part of some good teams in his young career and sees similar potential in the Detroit Lions.
New Detroit Lions cornerback CJ Gardner-Johnson came this close to getting a ring just over a month ago. A key part of the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense — he led the NFL with six interceptions in 2022 — Gardner-Johnson found himself in title contention and just a few games shy of winning the Lombardi Trophy.
Now in Detroit with a one-year deal reportedly worth up to $8 million, Gardner-Johnson sees a runner-up more than capable of doing similar things this year.
“To be honest,[Lions defenders are]a little bit better,” Gardner-Johnson said during his opening press conference Monday. “But that’s only on my account. Anyone can look inside from the outside, but this team is talented. With this team we can win a division. Everyone should feel this way. But when I look at the team where I’m from, all the teams I’ve played on, won multiple divisions, attended playoff games, attended the Super Bowl, this team has what it takes to win a division. You know what I’m saying, get there, win a division, make the playoffs.
On the surface, this is an extremely bold claim. While the Lions and Eagles were relatively close in offensive performance in 2022 (Philly averaged 28.1 points per game while the Lions averaged 26.6 points), Philadelphia had one of the best defenses in the league (sixth in DVOA, fourth in the EPA) and the Lions had one of the worst (28th in DVOA, 31st in EPA).
But the Lions had an active week on their hands, with significant additions on the defensive side of the ball. Detroit now has three new veteran high school starters in Cameron Sutton, Emmanuel Moseley and Gardner-Johnson, which should help improve pass defense for the Lions, who are ranked 31st in yards per attempt and 27th in passes defended ranked.
Of course, if that all sounds like sour grapes from a player who, according to a tweet from Eagles reporter Jeff McLane turned down a multi-year deal from the Eagles, Maybe it is. But Gardner-Johnson insists it’s all love between him and his former team.
“I don’t have bad blood,” Gardner-Johnson said. “People overreact to a freehand tweet, but it was never disrespectful to the organization. The organization treated me like family. It’s just you gotta do what’s best for your family. That’s all.”
The Lions also have the benefit of something the Eagles defense didn’t have last year: youth. This brings the benefit of an ever-improving roster of players in their prime, but Gardner-Johnson was quick to point out that it also comes with challenges.
“We just have to understand the identity and stand by it,” Gardner-Johnson said. “If we want to be a team that fights from the back all year round, we have to be that team all year round. If we want to be up front all year and knock out teams, we have to be that team all year. You can’t change your identity every week.”
Gardner-Johnson himself is still quite young. He turns 26 in December but this is already his fifth year in the league. So he thinks he was brought to Detroit to do a little bit of leadership, to help establish that identity and develop that consistency from week to week. Having worked with veterans like Malcolm Jenkins, Darius Slay and James Bradberry, Gardner-Johnson believes he has the tools to build that culture and grow as a leader.
“Everyone is young. i am young I’ve only been at it five years, but being close to the veteran presence helps me understand how to become a leader. I think that’s what they brought me here for, and I think that’s the next step for me. It’s not football anymore. It’s about being a better person, a better teammate for the next person.”
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