The Houston Texans need help in the secondary.
DeMeco Ryan’s defense ranked in the bottom 10 in passing yards allowed and passing yards per attempt in 2023. It was a disappointing effort after many thought that Houston’s safeties, led by safety duo Jalen Pitre and Jimmie Ward, could be the strength of the defense going into the year.
It isn’t a mess entirely. Cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. broke out in a big way with five interceptions and the team has multiple options to play across from him in 2024. That includes re-signing Steven Nelson or bringing in a veteran free agent like Xavien Howard.
It’s the safety dilemma that stands out.
Ward played in only 10 games and was not a reliable option to be on the field. Pitre went through a severe sophomore slump and didn’t force a turnover in 2023. Ryans even benched Pitre during the team’s brutal Week 16 loss to the Cleveland Browns. It could not have gone much worse after the Baylor product’s incredible rookie year which featured 147 tackles and five interceptions in 2022.
Now, the Texans have to find a way forward. That could require finding at least one additional safety to play, whether that is in case Ward is injured again or to facilitate moving Pitre down towards the nickel cornerback position. Houston could even find two new safeties, which would allow the Texans to capitalize on nearly $5 million in cap savings if they cut Ward after just one year.
There ar multiple ways they could about tackling this. One such option on the free agency market that stands out as both a great talent and a strong value play for general manager Nick Caserio is Detroit Lions impending free agent safety C.J. Gardner Johnson.
What a play by Gardner Johnson to knock that out pic.twitter.com/hgaUv9tHcI
— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) September 8, 2023
The University of Florida product started just five games in the regular season for the Lions in 2023 due to a torn pectoral muscle. He did start in the playoffs, though, where he intercepted Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield. But overall, it was a disappointing season for Gardner-Johnson after he was considered a key free agent signing.
In 2022, Gardner-Johnson had 67 total tackles and six interceptions while helping power the Philadelphia Eagles defense to the Super Bowl under defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. He had been a value add via a trade with the New Orleans Saints earlier that year and bet on himself afterwards with the short one-year deal with Detroit.
Gardner-Johnson was highly rated by Pro Football Focus in 2023, with a defensive grade of 72.7 and a coverage grade of 72.8. His run support was also solid, with a grade of 68.5. These were minor upticks from his performance in Philadelphia and they could be attributed to smaller sample size, however it’s impossible to ignore the talent of the 26 year old.
Now, he’s a free agent again and the tape shows a player that could fit well with the Texans.
Gardner-Johnson is largely considered a “strong safety” as someone who is capable of both patrolling the back end or playing close to the line of scrimmage. Considering that potential overlap of that skillset with Jalen Pitre, it’s important to start with Johnson’s ability in coverage. He graded out very well in this aspect and it shows up on tape.
Free agent safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson patrols the deep zone, tracks Kyler Murray's eyes, and flips his hips to make a great play for an interception.
He's a rangy player that could lead to some fun coverage variations with Jimmie Ward & Jalen Pitre for head coach DeMeco Ryans. pic.twitter.com/gbKp8XmpwN
— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) March 1, 2024
In the Lions’ Cover 4 heavy defense, similar to the Houston Texans this past year, Johnson frequently played deep to allow rookie Brian Branch to be closer to the line of scrimmage. He performed well in this aspect and those skills additionally show up when reviewing his 2022 time with the Philadelphia Eagles. He’s a ballhawking safety who can read the quarterback and explode to make plays.
Ryans preaches the importance of stopping the run and Gardner-Johnson is no stiff there. He has an ability to both come down to the box and support with blitzes as well as read out run plays from the high safety position and collapse. His vision and athleticism is apparent and he’s a rangy athlete who could be played all over the field.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson tracks the sweep play and beats the blockers to get to Skyy Moore on the screen play.
Some impressive run fits show up on tape for the free agent safety. DeMeco Ryans could find plenty of roles for him on defense. pic.twitter.com/eHgUu3FpKO
— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) March 1, 2024
In Houston, he would allow for very interchangeable coverage sets between himself and Ward. Both could be trusted with complex coverage assignments and the defensive staff would have the ability to rotate either safety with both being plus players and run support.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson shadows close to the LOS and kills the run play for a loss.
He could offer some crazy pre-snap looks and movement alongside Jalen Pitre when the team plays nickel (5 defensive back) packages. pic.twitter.com/hx2HNPfc7K
— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) March 1, 2024
This idea of interchangeability could also be used with Pitre and changing where both those players are pre-snap, even switching between safety and nickel assignments to confuse opposing quarterbacks.
It’s unclear whether or not the Texans will actually be interested in Gardner-Johnson, but the fit makes sense. At 26 years old, he would be a young player for the Texans defense that could contribute in both phases of the game. He’s a reliable player in coverage that would free up the athletic Pitre to do what he does best closer to the line of scrimmage and have a strong third season. It would also create an additional chess piece for defensive coordinator Matt Burke to implement more disguised coverage schemes against the AFC’s best quarterbacks such as Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson.
In a league where coverage is suddenly at a premium., this could be a very affordable fix.
