As the Buffalo Bills prepare for the 2026 NFL season, Bills Wire will take a look at the most important contributors on their roster. The team has some cornerstone players who will be returning for another shot at bringing a Lombardi Trophy to Buffalo, and they'll have help from some new additions as well.
Leading up to the season, we will be counting down the top-30 most important players on the roster. We'll recap their 2025 season, look ahead to what they'll offer in 2026, and tackle the most pressing questions surrounding them this coming year.
Next on the countdown is C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
Background
Position: Safety
Age at start of season: 28
Experience: Eighth year
2026 cap hit: $2,400,000
2025 recap
After winning the Super Bowl in 2024 as a starter for the Eagles.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson had an eventful 2025. He started the year with the Texans, but requested a trade after disagreements on his role in the defense, which ultimately led to his release after just three games. He then signed a one-year deal with the Bears and appeared in ten games, starting in 7, for a team that reached the divisional round. Despite only appearing in 13 regular season games last year, he posted career-highs in sacks (3) and QB hits (6), while intercepting two passes. Pro Football Focus gave him a 51.6 overall grade for 2025, which ranked 86th out of 98 NFL safeties, as the struggles during the first three weeks in Houston played into that grade.
2026 outlook
Gardner-Johnson was brought in to Buffalo on a one-year deal this offseason and will now be a starting safety for the Bills in Week 1 going against his former squad in the Texans. Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard has expressed recent concern about the lack of reps in his starting secondary due to injuries, which includes Gardner-Johnson's calf injury this preseason. But, when Gardner-Johnson is able to get going and fully acclimated, he's expected to be a versatile playmaker starting alongside Cole Bishop in what is expected to be an aggressive defense.
Biggest question: How long will he stick around?
Gardner-Johnson has played for five teams in his seven years as a pro, starting 82 total games and playing in 14 playoff games. After spending his first three years in New Orleans, he's bounced around the league and found his way into important roles on really good teams, including the 2022 and 2024 Eagles, 2023 Lions, and 2025 Texans and Bears. While he brings a dynamic element to a defense, he hasn't played more than one consecutive year on the same team since 2020-2021. There'd have to be a break in this pattern for him to re-sign with the Bills following this season.
30 most important Bills of 2026
Check back as we continue the countdown on our list of the 30 most important Bills ahead of the 2026 season.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: 30 most important Bills players of 2026: No. 17 C.J. Gardner-Johnson
