On Wednesday, the Houston Texans began their preparations for their Week 4 matchup with the Tennessee Titans at NRG Stadium, and they did it with one less player on the roster after releasing former starting safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
“I know everyone saw the news where we released [S] ‘Ceedy’ [C.J. Gardner-Johnson],” said Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans to open up his press conference. “I wish ‘Ceedy’ the best. Unfortunately, we just moved on. For me, every decision I make is always in the best interest of our team. I felt it was the best decision for us to move forward. So, now we’re here. We’re on to the [Tennessee] Titans.”
Ryans expression as he spoke to the media was stoic as usual, but his tone was different, as if he was sending a message that, contrary to the belief of some, he still had control of his team. With their 0-3 start, cutting Gardner-Johnson was not the distraction that he was looking to address this week.
In-season commotion is what Ryans has avoided in the last two seasons as he tries to push the team to the next level, but removing the toxicity from the locker room is something he had to do.
“It’s not hard for me to make decisions when it’s about my team,” Ryans said when asked about making this decision so early in the season. “For me, as the head coach, you have to make what others may seem, feel is a difficult decision. But whenever it’s about the team and I stick to my core values, it’s all about the team; any decision about it is easy for me.
“I know where we stand, and I know what everybody here in our organization, on our team, in the locker room, I know what everybody stands for. I know what everyone is about. So, everyone’s looking at me to make the right decision. I’ll always do that for my players.”
Houston traded former offensive lineman Kenyon Green and a 2026 draft pick to the Philadelphia Eagles this past offseason for Gardner-Johnson and a selection in the same draft.
With the uncertainty of the health of veteran safety Jimmie Ward heading into the new season, it made perfect sense for the Texans to acquire a ball-hawking safety who was coming off a Super Bowl run with the Eagles.
Yet, all of that depended on whether Gardner-Johnson could shake off some of the hostile rhetoric about his ability to get along with teammates and play within the existing defensive system.
Known for being a trash talker on the field, as evidence has shown with him being fined a large sum of money during his seven years of NFL service, the former fourth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints, also brought that same attitude into the Texans locker room and that did not sit well with the Texans coaching staff and players.
According to sources, he was very critical of his teammates’ play on defense. He would often freelance while on the field, frequently leaving the rest of the defensive backfield in challenging situations.
When he wasn’t doing his own thing on the field, Gardner-Johnson was very vocal about his role and how he should be used in the DeMeco Ryans-led system.
As criticism of his play arose, he would become boastful and remind everyone that he was fresh off winning a Super Bowl Championship with the Eagles. If the Texans wanted to get a ring, they should do things the way he did in Philadelphia.
Those words and actions did not sit well with the organization, and they had to decide before things got worse amongst the players who were also growing tired of Gardner-Johnson’s tirades.
“For me, I have a great pulse of our team,” said Ryans on Wednesday about the Texans’ culture. “I know our locker room. I know what’s going on with and around our team. I’m always keen and aware of what’s going on. That’s what it should be as a head coach. It’s always my first rule or a team rule for our guys, always protect the team. It starts with me as a head coach, making sure everybody is on the same page with having a team-first mentality.”
“I’ve said that from my opening press conference here, and that’ll always be me. It’ll always be about the team. It’ll never be about one person. It’ll never be about me personally. It’s collectively as a team, that’s how you go win. That’s how you do great things. You do great things with everybody collectively working together, being on the same page, and doing it with a joyful spirit, a joyful attitude. That’s what I always stand on.”