PFF: Eagles’ C.J. Gardner-Johnson is a bounce-back candidate for the 2024 season
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.
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.
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