Bills Cut Veteran Safety After Suspension Ends

The Buffalo Bills released veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson on Tuesday. The move comes shortly after the player returned from a one-game suspension. He had been sitting out last Sunday's win over the Baltimore Ravens due to a disciplinary action from earlier in the season.

Gardner-Johnson signed a one-year contract worth $6 million with the Bills in March. The suspension stemmed from an incident during Week 6 against the Las Vegas Raiders. NFL on CBS cameras captured the 28-year-old spitting toward Raiders tight end Brock Bowers and center Tyler Linderbaum. Officials flagged him for unsportsmanlike conduct and ejected him from the game. The league then suspended him for one contest.

While the spitting incident contributed to the decision, ESPN reports that the release was driven more by his performance on the field. The organization felt his play in the secondary lacked consistency. Through six games this season, quarterbacks have completed 64.7% of their passes against him. They have also posted an 83.5 passer rating when targeting his zone.

Damar Hamlin started at safety in place of Gardner-Johnson last week. Hamlin recorded five tackles and one pass defended in the victory over Baltimore. He is positioned to take over the starting role going forward.

Gardner-Johnson entered the league as a fourth-round pick of the New Orleans Saints in 2019. He played his first three seasons with New Orleans before trading to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022. He has since played for the Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens, and Chicago Bears.

The Bills have not announced a plan to re-sign the Florida native. Hamlin will likely remain the primary starter at safety for the remainder of the schedule.