The Buffalo Bills made a bit of a statement on Tuesday when they released safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
The releasing of Gardner-Johnson came after he was ejected in Week 6 for spitting towards TE Brock Bowers, and then served a suspension in Week 8 where he missed out on the game against the Ravens. Gardner-Johnson was set to return, but he is now a free agent with Buffalo parting ways with him.
The fact that Buffalo made this move, despite them needing all the help that they can get at safety, it shows that there are standards and there is no room for this kind of distraction. In addition, Gardner-Johnson was underperforming this season and with Damar Hamlin playing well as his replacement, the Bills felt comfortable moving on.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson being released opens up opportunity for overlooked safety
Right now, it feels like Hamlin will be Gardner-Johnson's replacement, but an opportunity may have opened up for Geno Stone, who the Bills signed this past offseason but have had on the practice squad this season.
Stone was brought to Buffalo after spending the last five seasons in the AFC North with both the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals. However, an underwhelming summer and preseason led to him not getting a final roster spot, but he made it back onto the practice squad.
Then this past week against the Ravens, Stone was elevated and he made his season debut against his former team. He made the most of his opportunity, racking up 6 total tackles and a pass deflection that led to rookie CB Davison Igbinosun getting his first career interception.
Geno Stone set up to finally make impact with Bills
Now, I believe that the Bills will roll with Hamlin just because he’s been part of the defense for years and he has been consistent this year. However, we can’t overlook what Stone has done in his career, especially since he is still in his prime.
Prior to coming to Buffalo, Stone had 14 interceptions and 312 total tackles in 5 seasons. Oh, he also had 21 pass deflections. For a safety, I would say that’s pretty darn good. However, the likely setup is that Hamlin would be the starter in replacing Gardner-Johnson. At the same time, seeing a rotation of Hamlin and Stone wouldn't be surprising either.
While the possibility of the Bills trading for a safety should be there, Stone definitely made some noise against the Ravens and he has earned the right to atleast get elevated again from the practice squad. Who knows, maybe he helps bring the stability that backend of the defense needs. Only time will tell.
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