Bills’ Gardner-Johnson carted off with leg injury

August 1, 2026 No Comments

Bills safety Gardner-Johnson carted off with leg injuryplayBrandon Beane tells McAfee why Bills picked grass over turf at new stadium (1:33)Alaina GetzenbergAug 1, 2026, 11:52 AM ETClose

Alaina Getzenberg covers the Buffalo Bills for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2021. Alaina was previously a beat reporter for the Charlotte Observer and has also worked for CBS Sports and the Dallas Morning News. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.

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PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was carted to the locker room after suffering a lower-body injury during training camp practice Saturday.

The team did not have an report on his status after practice.

Gardner-Johnson went down during an 11-on-11 period. He was tended to by athletic trainers who looked at his lower right leg/foot area. After testing out how much weight he could put on his leg, Gardner-Johnson was supported off the field by athletic trainers, not putting much weight on his right leg. Teammates, including left tackle Dion Dawkins, went over to check on the safety and wish him well.

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“I walked up to him and I told him, ‘You all right? Take care of yourself. Can you walk?'” Dawkins reported after practice. “And he got up and he did his thing. He could put weight on his legs, so he can walk. So, we all know that injury is 100% in this league, but he’s all right. And I got the message from coaches that he’s all right and they’re going to do their protocol. He’ll get … whatever he has to get and he’ll be right back in the loop.

“… But C.J. is OK, but it’s a scary thing. … But C.J. is a dog, as we all know. So, if anybody’s going to push through something the right way, it’d be C.J.”

The veteran spent about 10 minutes in the medical tent before limping on his own to a cart that took him to the locker rooms at St. John Fisher University. General manager and president of football operations Brandon Beane checked on Gardner-Johnson while he was in the tent. Gardner-Johnson put a towel on his head as the cart took off.

Gardner-Johnson, a free agent addition this offseason, is a projected starting safety alongside third-year safety Cole Bishop. In limited time with the team, he has been a vocal leader for the unit. Veteran safeties Geno Stone and Damar Hamlin filled in with the first-team defense in Gardner-Johnson’s absence.

“I just reported a quick prayer and I think he’ll be all right,” Hamlin reported. “If we know the type of guy and type of player C.J. is, he’ll find a way. He’ll be OK, hopefully. God willing.”