C.J. Gardner-Johnson intercepted six passes for the Eagles in 2024, and three of those came against the Cowboys. I figure he owes us one, and with P.J. Locke out against San Francisco, this would be a pretty good week for Christian Parker to give his old safety a call.
Last week we watched as Locke cleared concussion protocol in time to play the Colts, just to watch him have a great game before he got another concussion.
We also have Jalen Tompson out with a hamstring injury, and with those two out of commission, we’ve got to watch Caleb Downs, Markquese Bell, and Alijah Clark next to Malik Hooker.
Of those three guys, Downs is the one I’d trust most back there, and he’s also the guy I want covering a tight end on third-and-7.
Who Plays Next to Malik Hooker?
In Week 9, Caleb Downs played 35 snaps in the slot against Indianapolis. That’s a pretty big chunk of last Sunday’s game plan to hand to somebody else if Downs has to move back to safety.
Dallas could leave him where he is and give Bell or Clark the start, but I’d be fine with that against the 49ers. Those guys have practiced with Hooker all year and should know the defense well enough to give Kyle Shanahan some tough coverage.
What concerns me is how quickly Dallas could burn through both options. Clark missed Thursday’s practice with an illness, and even if he’s good to go by tomorrow, we just watched Locke clear protocol, get back on the field and go right back out.
I wouldn’t want to wait around until Bell or Clark had to leave the game, without having another option like C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
Scenario time: Let’s say the 49ers motion George Kittle into the slot on third down. I’d like Parker to be able to walk Downs over him and leave Gardner-Johnson back with Hooker. I like Downs chances in that matchup, and I would hate to give it up because two other safeties got hurt.
Chicago Gave C.J. Gardner-Johnson a Job He Could Do Right Away
Last year, the Bears lost nickel back Kyler Gordon and brought in Gardner-Johnson. In his first game, he sacked the quarterback against Cincinnati, and a week later he had nine tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble in a four-point win against the Giants.
All three of his sacks in Chicago came in those first two games.
I care a lot about how long it takes for a guy to be worth the roster spot, and in Chicago it took him one Sunday.
Gardner-Johnson can be moved to the slot, and that would allow Downs to play the quarterback’s eyes from the safety spot to give the offense a different look. If San Francisco goes hurry-up, Parker can switch the two without subbing.
Parker coached the Philadelphia Eagles defensive backs when Gardner-Johnson had six picks. I would trust his opinion of Gardner-Johnson more than my own. They might want to check the six games with Buffalo to see what happened there.
The Bills Saw Enough in Six Starts
C.J. Gardner-Johnson got ejected for spitting toward Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, then lost another game to the suspension. I can live with a defensive back who runs his mouth, but once you get yourself kicked out, who covers your man?
Dallas has spent enough Sunday figuring that out without any help, and on top of that, the word is Buffalo had a bigger issue with the inconsistency from Gardner-Johnson when he was on the field.
I would still bring him in for a workout and spend part of the visit watching those Buffalo games with him. I’d get Gardner-Johnson to talk Parker through the snaps the Bills had an issue with.
If Parker comes out of the room willing to play him next to Hooker, why not sign him for the rest of the year?
If the only snaps Parker feels good about giving him are in the slot, I’d split the nickel and safety between Gardner-Johnson and Downs.
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