Bills starting safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was carted off the field at Saturday afternoon’s practice.
The team gave no update on his status, though there is hope that Gardner-Johnson may have avoided catastrophic injury.
Gardner-Johnson went down during an 11-on-11 period with what appeared to be a lower right leg/foot injury. The veteran strong safety — who was signed in the offseason to start and bite to the defense — was tended to by athletic trainers.
After testing out how much weight he could place on that injured right leg, Gardner-Johnson was eventually supported off the field by athletic trainers.
Teammates, including left tackle Dion Dawkins, walked over to check on Gardner-Johnson.
The 28-year-old defensive back spent roughly 10 minutes in the medical tent, where he was checked on by Bills general manager and president of football operations Brandon Beane.
Gardner-Johnson eventually limped on his own power over to a cart, and draped a towel over his head as it drove him to the locker rooms at St. John Fisher University.
The Bills offered no update on Gardner-Johnson after the training camp practice, though his ability to walk was auspicious.
“I walked up to him and I told him, ‘You all right? Take care of yourself. Can you walk?’ And he got up and he did his thing. He could put weight on his legs, so he can walk,” Dawkins said. “So, we all know that injury is 100 percent in this league, but he’s all right. And I got the message from coaches that he’s all right and they’re going to do their protocol. He’ll get … whatever he has to get and he’ll be right back in the loop.
“… But C.J. is OK, but it’s a scary thing…But C.J. is a dog, as we all know. So, if anybody’s going to push through something the right way, it’d be C.J.”
Despite being a new arrival in Buffalo, Gardner-Johnson has already reportedly become a vocal leader on the defense. He’s projected to start at strong safety alongside third-year pro Cole Bishop, who can play free or strong safety.
Veterans Damar Hamlin and Geno Stone filled in with the first team after Gardner-Johnson went down.
“I just said a quick prayer and I think he’ll be all right,” said Hamlin, 28. “If we know the type of guy and type of player C.J. is, he’ll find a way. He’ll be OK, hopefully. God willing.”
A 2019 fourth-round pick with New Orleans, Gardner-Johnson had also played for Philadelphia (twice), Detroit, Houston and Chicago.
