The Houston Texans had an interesting offseason as they moved on from two offensive linemen, Laremy Tunsil and Kenyon Green. Tunsil, who had been a stalwart for Houston the last six seasons, was traded to the Washington Commanders for a 2025 third and seventh-round pick. Meanwhile, Green and a 2025 fifth-round pick were traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for C.J. Gardner-Johnson and a sixth-round pick.
Gardner-Johnson is quite a polarizing figure around the league, with players and fans of his team loving him and everyone else hating him. That said, it sounds like it didn't take the 27-year-old safety long to make an impression on the locker room. Monday was the first day back at the facility for Texans players.
According to Leah Vann of The Chronicle, defensive star Will Anderson Jr. shared his first impressions of Gardner-Johnson after meeting him on Monday. Anderson said, " He's everything I knew he would be: competitive, talk smack, and I love it."
Will Anderson Jr. on C.J. Gardner: âCJ Gardner, man, like, today was my first day meeting him, and he's everything I knew he would be: competitive, talk smack, and I love it.â #Texans
â Leah Vann (@LVann_Sports) April 21, 2025
Will Anderson Excited to Work with C.J. Gardner-Johnson
Anderson's comments about Garner-Johnson are not a surprise. The 23-year-old pass rusher enjoys trash-talking himself, as most linemen do. So, adding another voice in the backend that gets under the opponents' skin is likely to help Anderson get to the quarterback even more.
Gardner-Johnson's ability to get under receivers' and tight ends' skin can throw them off their game, meaning they may not run the correct route, or their timing could be a little off.
Moreover, Gardner-Johnson's competitive nature was built partly in his time with the Eagles. During that time, Philadelphia made it to the Super Bowl. That experience will come in handy if the Texans reach the playoffs after the 2025 season.
Furthermore, Gardner-Johnson's style meshes well with linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. Al-Shaair is a hard hitter who also enjoys talking smack. The hard-hitting, trash-talking defense that DeMeco Ryans continues to build will only benefit the Texans' chances of returning to the playoffs and beating the Kansas City Chiefs.