Lions' C.J. Gardner-Johnson ranked as one of the best safeties in the league
I don't know if you've been reading this series that Jeremy Fowler has been putting out for ESPN in the last week or two, but it's great. He's surveyed executives, coaches and players from around the NFL to find the top 10 players at every position. On Wednesday, Detroit Lions safety C. J. Gardner-Johnson was […]
I don't know if you've been reading this series that Jeremy Fowler has been putting out for ESPN in the last week or two, but it's great. He's surveyed executives, coaches and players from around the NFL to find the top 10 players at every position. On Wednesday, Detroit Lions safety C. J. Gardner-Johnson was ranked the 8th best safety in the league.
"Watch, he'll go to Detroit, make every play and get paid next year," an NFC exec said. "It was his first year playing safety full-time so teams wanted to see him do it twice. People don't always trust what they see. But don't get it twisted, he's worth his weight in gold. He played at a super high level."
That's an interesting take on the situation. Gardner-Johnson had a very good season for the Eagles in 2022 and even led the league in interceptions. Yet, for some reason he wasn't one of the first players signed to a big deal in free agency. Looks like teams want to see if he can really stick at safety for more than one year. The Lions really got a steal here because of it.
The thing that should make it interesting is that it doesn't look like the Lions plan to go straight safety with Gardner-Johnson in 2023. The idea is that he will go back to playing sort of a hybrid role similar to what he did in New Orleans when he was last with Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.
I don't think that'll make much of difference in the end though. If Gardner-Johnson goes out and lights things up in Detroit, he'll probably find himself getting a big deal in 2024. The Lions should make sure that they are the team that's signing him to that deal.
Another big note in Gardner-Johnson's ranking notes is his mouth and the swagger he brings with it.
"Gardner-Johnson has an aggressive style of play — with his hitting and his talking — that a few voters characterized as an acquired taste. He's fiery and confident, which might rankle some. But those who have gotten to know him say he loves football and brings a much-needed edge to a locker room."
We've talked about this here before. The Lions are in their villain era right now and the secondary is the leading the charge on that. Gardner-Johnson is leading that for the Lions. He's bringing that competitive and confident edge to the Lions locker room and you can just see it already.
Will Gardner-Johnson make this list again next year?
C.J. Gardner-Johnson releases first music video
It’s pretty good
Featured image by Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
