Eagles Top 25 Best Players Countdown: Returning Vet Kicks Off Top 10

PHILADELPHIA - When both sides of an equation figure out that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, you have the foundation for a reunion.

And that’s exactly what happened with the Eagles and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson this offseason.

Without the playmaking CJGJ Philadelphia’s pass defense plummeted from No. 1 in the NFL to No. 31 overall. While plenty of other issues added to that decline, the Eagles quickly realized just how much they missed Gardner-Johnson’s ball skills and the energy he brought to the defense.

That presence enabled Gardner-Johnson, 26, to finish No. 10 on SI.com’s annual list of the top 25 Eagles ranked by Eagles on Sports Illustrated beat reporters Ed Kracz and John McMullen.

The list has become an annual affair as the two reporters submit their top 25 lists simultaneously so each would be unaffected by the others. No. 1 on the list is awarded 25 points and so on down the list with No. 25 receiving one point.

CJGJ finished as high as No. 8 on Kracz’s list and was No. 11 on McMullen’s, good enough to crack the top 10 overall. 

Gardner-Johnson is coming off a largely lost season in Detroit derailed by a torn pec in Week 2. When he returned to the Lions lineup late in the season, the Lions had essentially moved on in what was a special season for them. Gardner-Johnson was relegated to a backup role but did record an interception in the playoffs against Tampa Bay.

He originally arrived in the Motor City on a one-year, prove-it deal after butting heads with the Eagles in contract negotiations in the 2023 offseason.

The middle ground this time was a three-year deal for $27 million for Gardner-Johnson with the typical Philadelphia bookkeeping tricks that keep things manageable on the salary cap.

A similar commitment was there from the Eagles 12 months ago after Gardner-Johnson tied for the NFL lead in interceptions with six despite missing five games with a lacerated kidney but deemed insufficient, a miscalculation in hindsight from the CJGJ camp.

“Take your feelings out of it, and just … be a man about certain things, and accept certain things as a man,” Gardner-Johnson said when asked what changes this time around. 

The exit plan was not pretty on either side with Gardner-Johnson ripping the Philadelphia fans as “obnoxious” on his way out the door and Eagles sources claiming hesitation on guaranteed money potentially affecting Gardner-Johnson’s mindset.

On the field, the talented Florida product moved from slot cornerback in New Orleans to safety with the Eagles after being acquired just before the start of the 2022 season. The veteran defensive back later proved he could toggle back and forth between both positions seamlessly.

His return to Philadelphia figures to give new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio a versatile chess piece for the array of zone coverages the veteran coach likes to throw at opponents.

The former DC when Gardner-Johnson was in Philly, now-Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon, ran a Fangio-like scheme and often called the slot cornerback and post-safety roles as mirrored positions in the defensive scheme.

Gardner-Johnson’s comfort with lining up near the line of scrimmage as well as patrolling the back end with split or single-high looks in an attempt to disguise coverage isn’t easy to duplicate.

“Coming back was like a relief because I’m familiar with the people here, with the players. I’m comfortable,” Gardner-Johnson said.

The biggest checkmark against Gardner-Johnson has to be durability. He’s missed a total of 24 games over the past three seasons so his ability to be available every week can’t just be assumed.

When Gardner-Johnson has been on the field, however, the impact has been obvious.

“I’m a football player, smart, physical, and one of the best safeties in the league,” Gardner-Johnson said. “That’s how I feel, but I got better as a player and a person. I figured out how to interact outside of football. I learned how to engage differently with my teammates and my friends.”

MORE NFL: Saquon Barkley Continues To Impress: "One That Doesn’t Come Around Too Often”