C.J. Gardner-Johnson was cut by the Texans after three games amid locker-room friction and disagreements over his role and blitz responsibilities. Houston had traded for him in a bid to bolster the secondary, sending Kenyon Green and a 2025 fifth-round pick to Philadelphia for Gardner-Johnson and a sixth. The 0-3 start and behind-the-scenes tensions led to a swift parting of ways, with Gardner-Johnson entering free agency again.

The veteran Super Bowl winner with the Eagles, who previously spent time with the Saints and Lions (including a torn pec setback in Detroit), now hits the market with not waiver constraints. His next landing will shape back-end rotation and blitz plans for whichever defense signs him first.