There was a ton of anticipation that went into seeing defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson donning the number 35 Chicago Bears jersey for the first time in Week 9 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Still, many wondered how he would do with less than a week of practice with the team.
Granted, the Bears' secondary was pretty awful after allowing a banged-up 40-year-old Joe Flacco to throw for 470 yards and four touchdowns, nearly losing the game for Chicago. All things considered, Gardner-Johnson played incredibly well compared to the rest of the cornerbacks on the team.
Gardner-Johnson finished tied for second on the team in tackles with six. He also had a quarterback hit, one tackle for loss, and one sack on 40 snaps in the 47-42 win over the Bengals. While in coverage, he allowed three catches on four targets for just 16 yards.
Assessing Gardner-Johnson's overall performance against Bengals
While Gardner-Johnson was not lined up against Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase as much as Nahshon Wright and Tyrique Stevensson, Gardner-Johnson held his own. The one catch he allowed against Higgins at the goal line was in tight coverage.
The challenges might not have been there in pass coverage, but Gardner-Johnson contributed in the pass rush. He went untouched on his sack off the blitz call by Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, which was an impactful play.
Although it's a minimal sample size, overall, Bears fans have to feel good about Gardner-Johnson's performance. He made his tackle and was good in coverage. Not much more could have been asked for a safety that turned into a nickel corner with less than a week of practice in a new defense.
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Bears fans will be more interested in seeing how Gardner-Johnson keeps progressing in a secondary that is in a very shaky state right now. Could he be the difference-maker they need him to be consistently the rest of the 2025 season?