Source: Texans release safety Gardner-Johnson

HOUSTON -- In a astonishment move, the Texans released information C.J. Gardner-Johnson connected Tuesday, a root told ESPN.

In 3 starts, Gardner-Johnson had 15 tackles with nary interceptions oregon walk breakups.

The Texans traded their 2022 first-round prime -- near defender Kenyon Green -- to the Philadelphia Eagles for Gardner-Johnson successful March, hoping to adhd a shot hawk, who had six interceptions successful 2024 for the Eagles successful their march to a Super Bowl title.

Gardner-Johnson has struggled to prime up manager DeMeco Ryans' antiaircraft strategy this season, which has contributed to respective large plays against Houston's secondary done the archetypal 3 weeks for the Texans, who are 0-3 to commencement the season.

On Monday, Ryans was asked astir the connection betwixt his secondary's players, admitting "it hasn't been great."

"When you spot a large play that happens connected our defense, determination on the lines, there's a bust successful communication," Ryans said. "It each starts with communication, and it hasn't been arsenic crisp arsenic it needs to be. We spot that. We person to marque immoderate adjustments determination to marque definite we get it corrected."

Each of the Texans' 3 losses person been by a touchdown oregon less. At minimum, according to squad sources, Gardner-Johnson has allowed 3 large plays successful those games that person contributed to the opposing discourtesy scoring touchdowns, adding that Gardner-Johnson has struggled to consistently defender the close opposing subordinate erstwhile required to "match coverage" based connected the Texans' antiaircraft telephone and the routes tally by the offense, struggles that besides occurred during walk-throughs successful the lead-up to games.

During Houston's Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, backmost Matthew Stafford threw a 13-yard touchdown to choky extremity Davis Allen, who ran a country way into the extremity zone, which Gardner-Johnson was liable for. Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter tried to cleanable up the sum bust but wasn't capable to tally down Allen. Houston mislaid the crippled 14-9.

In Week 2, Tampa Bay Buccaneers backmost Baker Mayfield threw an implicit way to wideout Ryan Miller for a 20-yard touchdown connected the game's opening drive. The Texans were successful Cover-2, which required Gardner-Johnson to screen the heavy close fractional of the field. He alternatively jumped a 10 gait in-breaking way from Buccaneers wideout Sterling Shepard, exposing the heavy fractional for the Miller scoring reception. The Texans mislaid 20-19.

Last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Gardner-Johnson made a important mistake with the crippled knotted 10-10 precocious successful the 4th quarter, jumping an out-breaking way by Parker Washington erstwhile helium was liable for thing implicit the mediate of the...