Report: Lions’ C.J. Gardner-Johnson Feared to Have Torn Pec Injury; Out Indefinitely
Detroit Lions’ safety CJ Gardner-Johnson reportedly suffered a torn pec Sunday in a loss against the Seattle Seahawks and is out indefinitely, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Gardner-Johnson appeared to have suffered the injury during the opening drive of the game and was favoring his shoulder as he walked off under his own power. He was able to return to the field for the subsequent drive.
The 24-year-old was a big offseason pickup for Detroit on a one-year, $8 million contract.
Gardner-Johnson quickly became one of the leaders in the Lions’ locker room, inspiring the ski mask trend that’s going on in Detroit at the moment. He even encouraged fans to wear blue ski masks to the team’s home opener in Week 2.
Following a campaign in which he was a central piece of a dominant Philadelphia Eagles defense that made it all the way to the Super Bowl, Gardner-Johnson—the NFL’s co-leader in interceptions in 2022—was expected to be a big difference maker for a Lions’ unit that was the worst in the league last season.
And now, it looks like they could be without him for potentially the rest of the year.
Through two weeks, he had 13 total tackles to go along with two pass breakups.
Detroit’s other starting safety Kerby Joseph also suffered a hip injury in Sunday’s game but was able to return.
