Ben Johnson on signing veteran C.J. Gardner-Johnson

Ariana Pensy · Correspondent · 7 hours ago

CHICAGO - Chicago’s injuries proved insurmountable against the Baltimore Ravens last week.

So, to prepare to face perhaps the league’s best wide receiver duo in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins when the Bears take on the Cincinnati Bengals this coming Sunday (Noon / CBS), Chicago signed cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the active roster.

“As you can tell, we’ve had some injuries over the course of the last few weeks. Our injury report last week was pretty healthy and then this week, same thing. We’ve got guys dinged up and in and out, and so we have an opportunity, and he was available,” head coach Ben Johnson said. “He’s a good football player. There’s a number of us that have been with him in the past and so, it’s a good fit.”

This signing is a little controversial, given Gardner-Johnson’s history. He has developed a reputation in the league as a bit of a problem child. This behavior has also come onto the field. Throughout his career, Gardner-Johnson has been fined 13 times for a total of nearly $200,000 dollars.

Six of those fines were last season, including five for taunting. Despite this history, Johnson is confident in the decision to sign him.

“We did due diligence,” Johnson said. “We talked to people that he’s been around recently, and so, it was one of those moves that we felt comfortable with where we’re at as a team right now, where C.J.’s at in his career, that it’s a good fit.”

The Bears’ coaching staff is not unfamiliar with Gardner-Johnson. When he was first drafted back in 2019, his defensive coordinator with the New Orleans Saints was Dennis Allen.

In addition, Gardner-Johnson played for the Detroit Lions during Johnson’s tenure there.

“Coach DA gave me a chance when I was a rookie, 2019, and I played with Coach Ben in Detroit, went to the NFC Championship. So, talking to them (on) the phone and hearing how much they care about me, understanding me as a player, that they’re here for me. So, this is the right spot for me,” Gardner-Johnson said. “Sometimes it’s not about being the star of the team. Sometimes (it is) about being the guy to get things done the right way and helping guys get things done the right way and being on a Super Bowl team last year, you can see how guys go about things and being able to adapt and adjust to your game and really just teach and be a student of the game as the game (goes) on.”

Injuries will be a main storyline for this matchup against the Bengals. For Cincinnati, they may be without their quarterback Joe Flacco as he is currently dealing with a shoulder issue.

Specifically, according to the Bengals’ head coach Zac Taylor, Flacco has a ‘very painful’ AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder and has a 50/50 chance to play.

For Chicago, their top cornerbacks, Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, are on injured reserve, while Tyrique Stevenson was limited during Wednesday’s practice with a shoulder injury. Offensively, the Bears also have a lot of injuries with three of their wide receivers - DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III - all on the injury report.

None of them were able to participate in practice on Wednesday, while running backs D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson were also unable to practice.