DeMeco Ryans Breaks Silence on Texans' Trade Acquisition

The Houston Texans ensured to make a significant shakeup to the back-end of their defensive unit early this offseason by bringing in Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson as a veteran, recent Super Bowl-winning addition to an already strong unit on that side of the ball.

Thanks to their deal to send out former-first round offensive lineman Kenyon Green and a fifth-round pick, the Texans secured the services of Gardner-Johnson along with a sixth-round pick.

And now with the initial dust of this offseason settled, we're starting to hear a bit from the Texans brass on the decision to bring in Gardner-Johnson, and it's clear the team's pumped to have his skill set on board.

DeMeco Ryans recently reacted to Houston's move of bringing in Gardner-Johnson during this offseason's annual owners meeting, where he didn't hold back his excitement for his new addition on defense.

"C.J [Gardner-Johnson] instantly improves our back-end. Not only from his play, but him pairing with Calen [Bullock], and Calen's game is definitely going to improve from just seeing how C.J. plays, and how he prepares. You can feel the passion and the love for football that C.J. has. My first conversation with him, he got me fired up talking to him. So, he's going to fit right in as a swarm player for us, and I'm excited to get to work with him."

Gardner-Johnson is coming off an impactful season as a part of a dominant secondary in Philadelphia. During his 2024 campaign, he started in 16 contests to collect 59 combined tackles, 12 passes defended, and six interceptions en route to become one of the better safeties in the NFL.

Now, he gets a chance to reclaim that success with his new situation in Houston. Clearly, his coaching staff is confident he can make it happen, while also making a few of his surrounding teammates better in the process.