#Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson is out indefinitely after suffering a lacerated kidney in Sunday night’s win over the #Packers, per sources.
It’s a non-surgical injury. Testing is ongoing, so timetable still TBD, but it is not expected to be season-ending.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 29, 2022
Woah. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero first reported that Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson is ‘out indefinitely’ with an injury similar to what’s sidelined Marshon Lattimore for seven games. Gardner-Johnson suffered a lacerated kidney in Sunday’s win over the Green Bay Packers in addition to the rib injury that he was officially listed with; the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane confirmed the news, adding that Gardner-Johnson is likely dealing with a rib fracture.
That puts Gardner-Johnson’s status in jeopardy for Week 17’s game with his old New Orleans Saints team on Jan. 1. This injury isn’t expected to end his season, but as we’ve seen with Lattimore it can linger for weeks. If he were to go on injured reserve and return after the minimum four weeks, he’d arrive just in time for a revenge game with the Saints. But there’s no guaranteeing that he’d be ready to play, so this is very much a wait-and-see situation.
Gardner-Johnson has excelled with the Eagles after the Saints sent him packing in a preseason trade, playing safety full-time rather than the slot role he filled in New Orleans. He’s the current NFL leader for interceptions (6) with 8 passes defensed and 60 tackles (55 solo) on the year, setting him up nicely for a contract extension the Saints weren’t willing to pay him. We’ll see if he’s able to suit up when the Saints visit the Eagles on New Year’s Day.
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