C.J. Gardner-Johnson only lasted three games with the Houston Texans before he outstayed his welcome.
Why? Well, according to reports, it only took one game for him to realize the AFC South champions weren’t his cup of tea.
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According to KPRC 2 Sports’ Aaron Wilson, Gardner-Johnson requested a trade earlier this month, which was one of the factors that led to his release on Tuesday. Among the issues that arose with Gardner-Johnson included criticism of teammates in the secondary, complaints about his role and “a desire to blitz more frequently.”
Acquired in a trade from the Philadelphia Eagles, Gardner-Johnson was expected to be a focal point in the secondary after intercepting six passes last season on a Super Bowl championship squad. Instead, he struggled to find a role in DeMeco Ryans’ secondary after three games and looked frustrated during stints on the sidelines.
He recorded 15 tackles and one quarterback hit with zero interceptions during his short time with the Texans.
While Gardner-Johnson wasn’t the only liability in coverage, he had his moments that eventually factored into the Texans’ 0-3 start. According to ESPN’s D.J. Bien-Aime, Gardner-Johnson allowed three big plays in all three games that have contributed to the opposing offense scoring touchdowns.
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Texans coach DeMeco Ryans mentioned on Monday, following a 17-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, that communication in the secondary has been a problem.
“When you see a big play that happens on our defense, somewhere along the lines, there’s a bust in communication,” Ryans said. “It all starts with communication, and it hasn’t been as crisp as it needs to be. We see that. We have to make some adjustments there to make sure we get it corrected.”
The man up at safety is expected to be M.J. Stewart in tandem with Calen Bullock, who has had his struggles in Year 2. Veteran Jimmie Ward.
The Texans take on the Tennessee Titans on Sunday at noon CT.
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This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans: DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson requested trade before his release