The Buffalo Bills Received Positive News Regarding C.J. Gardner-Johnson After

Bills Get Positive News on Gardner-Johnson's Injury

PITTSFORD, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills received a significant break on the injury front this week, as head coach Joe Brady confirmed safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson avoided a serious injury after a scary moment at training camp.

The Injury

The Buffalo Bills received positive news regarding C.J. Gardner-Johnson after the safety left Saturday's practice with a non-contact lower body injury.

Gardner-Johnson needed to be helped off the field by the training staff Saturday during an 11-on-11 team period and did not return to practice.

The injury initially raised alarm among fans and observers, as a well-known sports doctor cited the trainer examining the Achilles area, Gardner-Johnson's inability to complete a heel raise, and the player reaching for the back of his leg as signs that the injury looked like an Achilles rupture . However, it's nowhere near the season-ending Achilles tear that some on-lookers initially feared . According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, a source told Schefter that tests revealed the veteran has a lower calf strain.

Brady's Update

Speaking with reporters Monday, Brady addressed the injury directly. "We're fortunate. Anytime you see a lower body extremity injury, and in the manner in which some of those happen, there's always a bad possibility with it. But we got good news and we'll see how his body recovers," Bills head coach Joe Brady said.

The first-year head coach declined to provide a specific recovery timeline for the veteran safety. Brady shared that the way he treats injuries is to not place expectations on a timetable to return, saying "As you guys kind of learn me, I'm not really big on expectations or timetables, and I think that's part of the everybody's body recovers differently."

Roster Impact

Gardner-Johnson signed a one-year, $6 million contract in March after Buffalo overhauled its secondary. With him sidelined, the Bills also added Geno Stone, who replaced Gardner-Johnson during team drills after the injury. Additionally, other defensive backs are seeing increased opportunities during his absence, as the likes of Damar Hamlin and fifth-round rookie Jalon Kilgore are expected to see playing time with the starting defense at training camp .

The positive diagnosis comes as welcome news for Buffalo's defense, which is implementing a new scheme under defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard this offseason after significant secondary changes.