Cornerback · Buffalo Bills
C.J. Gardner-Johnson
No. 22 · 8th season
Gardner-Johnson left practice on a cart. Now Buffalo holds its breath.
Saturday's practice ended early for C.J. Gardner-Johnson — not by design. The Buffalo Bills safety was carted off the field, and for a moment that is all anyone knew.
Gardner-Johnson has built a reputation as one of the more physical, combustible presences in the secondary anywhere in the league. Whatever else you want to say about him, he brings an edge that is hard to replace.
Tests came back with a lower calf strain. Not the worst news — but not nothing, either. Calf injuries have a way of lingering, of coming back at the wrong time, of not being fully resolved until they suddenly are again.
For a Bills team with expectations riding high, losing a starter in the secondary — even briefly — is a real crack in the foundation. Preseason practice is supposed to be about building. A cart ride changes the conversation.
The injury is diagnosed. The timeline is the part nobody has answered yet.
Adam Schefter
@AdamSchefter
Tests revealed that Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who was carted to the locker room during Saturday’s practice, suffered a lower calf strain, per source. https://t.co/oJIwjdZFBS
9:43 PM · Aug 1, 2026
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