C.J. Gardner-Johnson Explains Why He Chose the Bears Over Other Options

It's no secret that the Chicago Bears have had their fair share of injuries in the secondary this season. 

The Bears haven't seen Jaylon Johnson play since Week 2 due to a groin injury, and just lost Kyler Gordon to a similar one. Gordon was placed on the injured reserve ahead of the Baltimore Ravens game. Gordon already missed the first four games of the season with a hamstring injury. 

Tyrique Stevenson also missed the game with a shoulder injury. 

To compensate for the injuries, Chicago went out and signed veteran defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson. 

He has spent this season with multiple different teams so far, first joining the Houston Texans, before being signed to the Ravens' practice squad. He spent last season with the Philadelphia Eagles and has also spent time with the New Orleans Saints (2019-2021) and Detroit Lions (2023). 

The newest member of the Bears' defense spoke about what made the franchise stand out to him, and he mentioned his past relationship with defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. Allen was Gardner-Johnson's defensive coordinator on the Saints. 

"Coming to a place where I'm already comfortable with the coach," Gardner-Johnson said. "This team was already good before me. They won what? Four straight, five straight. A loss doesn't deteriorate the team for who they are. They're good. I'm just adding extra skill, extra fire to the back end. I'm happy to be here, and I appreciate Coach Allen and DA." 

The veteran has accounted for 319 total tackles, 22 tackles for loss and 18 interceptions in his career. 

He joins a Bears defense that leads the league in takeaways, with 16 heading into Week 9. The quarterback that Chicago will be facing is uncertain, as the Cincinnati Bengals could play either Joe Flacco or Jake Browning. 

Flacco comes into the week with an AC joint injury on his throwing shoulder. Flacco has thrown for 787 passing yards and seven touchdowns with zero interceptions. Browning has 757 passing yards, with six touchdowns and eight interceptions. 

Chicago has been in a situation like this before when they took on Jayden Daniels on Monday Night Football, who hadn't thrown an interception leading into the game. However, the Bears not only forced Daniels into throwing his first interception of the year, but also recovered a fumble from the quarterback, which set up the game-winning field goal. 

Hopefully adding an experienced play like Gardner-Johnson to the mix while help the secondary while it continues to get healthier.