PFF: Eagles’ C.J. Gardner-Johnson top bounce-back candidate

Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson returns to the Eagles safety room with a chance to immediately help the team add to their lackluster 2023 turnover total.

Gardner=Johnson picked off a league-high six passes with the Eagles in 2022, before heading to Detroit for the 2023 season, where he appeared in just three games due to injury.

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Pro Football Focus’ Bradley Locker names Gardner-Johnson as the bounce-back candidate for the Eagles, as a player who can add playmaking ability to the Eagles' new-look secondary and possibly be deployed more as a blitzer for new Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.

Part of why Gardner-Johnson wasn’t as good last year was his diminished pass rush, with his 50.7 grade in that department a career low by a landslide. Then again, it’s encouraging that his coverage grade remained consistent based on years past. If Vic Fangio deploys CGJ more as a blitzer, he should have a better 2024.

Gardner-Johnson joins Reed Blankenship and Sydney Brown in the safety room that totaled just five picks in 2023. As a team, the Eagles had just nine interceptions last season and are hoping that adding Garnder-Johnson, along with rookies Cooper DeJean and first-round pick Quinyon Mitchell will turn into more turnovers in 2024.

In five NFL seasons, Gardner-Johnson has 12 interceptions, four sacks, 39 passes defended, and 241 tackles. He looks to bounce back from his 2023 season, where he missed all but three games due to a torn pectoral.