Lions DB CJ Gardner-Johnson took off the bandwagon after suffering a leg injury

Detroit Lions defensive back CJ Gardner-Johnson suffered what appeared to be a serious leg injury during training camp.

• by
  
  Jeremy Reisman
  

• on Jul 24, 2023 10:14 AM

Detroit Lions defensive back CJ Gardner-Johnson was forced off the field during training camp practice Monday after what appeared to be an injury to his right knee.

On the play, Gardner Johnson was playing close to the line and was blocked on a running play before collapsing to the floor and starting to tap his right leg. He remained on the ground for several minutes before being removed by a cart. He did not take a single step on his injured leg.

Gardner-Johnson was one of the biggest Detroit free agent signings of the season. The Lions gave him a one-year deal worth up to $8 million, and he was poised to play a key role in the revamped secondary room as a nickel/safety hybrid.

“There’s a reason we got CJ because we think they definitely raise our level of production, but they’re also football players,” said head coach Dan Campbell. “It suits everything we’re about — the way they go about their business. They’re seasoned guys.”

If the injury turns out to be serious, the Lions have options at the nickelback cornerback. They could use veteran Will Harris to pick Brian Branch to the second round nickel or rookie selection.

At this point, it is too early to speculate. Let’s just hope it’s just an injury scare for Gardner-Johnson and we get good news at Tuesday’s press conference with Campbell.

If any new information comes to light, we will update this news post.

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