The Bills release C.J. Gardner-Johnson just days after the veteran safety returned from a one-game suspension tied to a Week 6 spitting incident, the team announced Tuesday.
Bills release C.J. Gardner-Johnson following suspension
Gardner-Johnson signed a one-year, 6 million dollar deal with Buffalo in March. He was suspended for Week 8 after NFL cameras showed him spitting in the direction of Raiders tight end Brock Bowers and center Tyler Linderbaum during the Week 6 matchup with Las Vegas, an action that drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and ejection.
He served the suspension during Sunday’s win over Baltimore, which followed the club’s Week 7 bye.
While the incident did not help his standing, the move was driven more by on-field inconsistency in the secondary, according to reports. Team evaluators were concerned by too many breakdowns, and through six games this season he had allowed a 64.7 percent completion rate and an 83.5 passer rating against.
With Gardner-Johnson sidelined last week, Damar Hamlin started in his place and is the favorite to keep the role going forward. Hamlin recorded five tackles and a pass defended in the victory over the Ravens.
Gardner-Johnson, 28, entered the league as a fourth-round pick of the New Orleans Saints in 2019. He spent three seasons in New Orleans before a 2022 trade to the Philadelphia Eagles, then made stops with the Lions, Texans, Ravens, and Bears prior to joining Buffalo this offseason.
He was suspended for Week 8 after NFL cameras showed him spitting in the direction of Raiders tight end Brock Bowers and center Tyler Linderbaum during the Week 6 matchup with Las Vegas, an action that drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and ejection.
He served the suspension during Sunday’s win over Baltimore, which followed the club’s Week 7 bye.
While the incident did not help his standing, the move was driven more by on-field inconsistency in the secondary, according to reports. Team evaluators were concerned by too many breakdowns, and through six games this season he had allowed a 64.7 percent completion rate and an 83.5 passer rating against.
With Gardner-Johnson sidelined last week, Damar Hamlin started in his place and is the favorite to keep the role going forward. Hamlin recorded five tackles and a pass defended in the victory over the Ravens.
Gardner-Johnson, 28, entered the league as a fourth-round pick of the New Orleans Saints in 2019. He spent three seasons in New Orleans before a 2022 trade to the Philadelphia Eagles, then made stops with the Lions, Texans, Ravens, and Bears prior to joining Buffalo this offseason.
