Don’t look now, but C.J. Gardner-Johnson is following Malcolm Jenkins in Tuesday’s stunning Saints-Eagles trade. Jenkins, of course, started his career as a highly-touted slot corner and won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints. When things soured after he struggled in a new role as the team’s starting free safety, the Saints opted to part ways with him. He went to the Philadelphia Eagles and won another Super Bowl, earning a lot of love from the fans in Philly, too.
Gardner-Johnson’s story so far kind of looks like what Jenkins may have experienced on Earth-2 or some other alternate universe. He landed in New Orleans as a mid-round pick, loved by draftniks but overlooked by most teams, and it took some time before he elbowed his way into the lineup and took Jenkins’ old spot covering the slot. He came awful close to winning a title or two with the Saints, too, but his biggest win was ascending to household name status among the fanbase.
