Allen Park — C.J. Gardner-Johnson had to be carted off the field during Monday’s training camp practice after suffering a leg injury, but early indications are the Detroit Lions defensive back has avoided a significant injury.
A team source confirmed to The Detroit News that Gardner-Johnson’s injury doesn’t appear to be serious, after initial medical tests.
The play occurred a little more than an hour into practice. Gardner-Johnson had been in pursuit of rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs on an outside run when the defender’s leg gave out and he went to the ground after contact with an offensive lineman.
Gardner-Johnson immediately started to hit his knee in frustration before members of the team’s training staff arrived and conducted a thorough examination of both the front and back of the leg prior to helping Gardner-Johnson onto a cart.
Practice resumed while Gardner-Johnson was being evaluated, but some teammates, including defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs, stayed close to offer support. Others offered some words of encouragement as Gardner-Johnson was loaded onto the cart. The player showed some visible emotion during those minutes after the injury.
The Lions were understandably careful not to jump to any conclusions ahead of more testing. In 2016, tight end Eric Ebron suffered a leg injury during a training camp practice at Ford Field. Despite initial reports from national outlets that he suffered a torn Achilles, it ended up being a less serious ankle injury that only cost him the first three games of that season.
“You don’t want anyone to go down,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said after practice. “But, we’ll see. We’ll know a lot more here shortly. Hopefully, it (was a situation that) just freaked him out a little bit.”
Gardner-Johnson was one of Detroit’s key free-agent acquisitions this offseason, signing a one-year, $8 million deal after leading the NFL in interceptions for the NFC-champion Philadelphia Eagles in 2022. The signing reunited Gardner-Johnson with Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who had served as the defensive back’s position coach in New Orleans for the first two years of his career.
In just the few months he’s been with the franchise, Gardner-Johnson had made a strong impression with his intensity and energy on the field.
“Hopefully, he’s gonna be OK,” offensive tackle Taylor Decker said. “I think he brings a lot of confidence to that DB room. I mean, that guy, he’s a talker, and that’s what DBs do. He’s gonna make those guys around him better and he’s a confident player. Like, we’ve seen that in walkthrough, where it’s like, ‘Well, that’s not walkthrough tempo, but it is what it is.’ So, I hope he’s okay, because I think he can bring a lot of value. I know everybody knows that he can bring a lot of value to our team, but I mean, it’s just the nature of the game.”
A healthy Gardner-Johnson is in line to serve as Detroit’s starting nickel cornerback, while also seeing some situational snaps at other spots in the secondary. If the injury had proved to be as serious as it first appeared, the Lions have options at that spot. Veteran Will Harris, who has played every spot in the defensive backfield during his career in Detroit, immediately replaced Gardner-Johnson at nickel for the remainder of Monday’s practice.
Additionally, the team added Alabama defensive back Brian Branch in the second round of the draft.
“Will, Branch, we’ve got some nickel/safety protection,” Campbell said.
Branch, noted for his versatility and football IQ during the pre-draft process, has been playing a similar role to Gardner-Johnson with the second-team defense in these early offseason practices, drawing positive reviews for his performance during the spring.
“I would say that he’s a good player now,” Glenn said in May. “He’s a very instinctive player. He’s a very aware player. I’m glad we got him. I can’t tell you exactly if he’s going to start or anything like that, but I’ll tell you what, he’ll have a role on this defense.”
Branch and Harris both declined interview requests after practice.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers