Irony Strikes Hard as Eagles’ C.J. Gardner-Johnson Trade Comes Full Circle With Injury News

On August 8, 2025, just five months after being traded from Philadelphia to Houston in a move many questioned, C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s first training camp with the Texans took a downturn. During a routine coverage drill against wide receiver John Metchie III, the veteran safety planted his right leg, stumbled, and collapsed to the turf. And although the injury occurred at The Greenbrier in West Virginia, the sting of the irony was felt in two cities.

The trade that set up this moment came in March 2025, which sent Gardner-Johnson and a 2026 sixth-round pick from the Eagles to the Texans in exchange for offensive guard Kenyon Green and a 2026 fifth-round pick. Green, a 2022 first-round selection by Houston, had started his career as a left guard but missed all of the 2023 season and five games of the 2024 season with a shoulder injury— following which, the Texans traded Green to the Philadelphia Eagles. 

But with ten minutes remaining in their second half of a preseason game against the New England Patriots, Eagles quarterback Kyle McCord threw an interception to Bengals linebacker Joe Giles-Harris. The play was initially ruled a 37-yard touchdown before being overturned on replay, but in the chaos of the return, Kenyon Green was injured while attempting the tackle. And just like Gardner-Johnson could not put weight on the leg and had to be carted off the field hours before, Green, too, had to leave clutching his right wrist. The twist of fate was reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter in a tweet on his X account:

“Back in March, the Eagles traded safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans in exchange for offensive guard Kenyon Green. Both players were injured today.” Following his 59 combined tackles, 12 pass deflections, and a career-high six interceptions that played a key role in Philadelphia’s 2024 Super Bowl run, the Texans had plans for him to replace Eric Murray in the secondary. Instead, they ended up scheduling an MRI for later that day to see if any of that could still happen.

Call it luck at a ray of hope, but as revealed by Schefter, the Texans’ safety didn’t end up tearing ACL in his right knee, something originally feared. Still watching it all unfold was “heartbreaking” for Texans HC Demeco Ryans. “I’m always nervous as a head coach anytime I see anybody hit the ground, it’s tough to watch.”  Beyond nervousness, Gardner-Johnson’s absence leaves uncertainty over whether he will be ready for the regular season opener alongside Calen Bullock. For Philadelphia, the trade’s short-term return is also in jeopardy.

Green had been working primarily with the third-team offensive line in camp, a sign that he was not in serious contention for the starting left guard job and, per Bleeding Green Nation, might even be on the roster bubble. The wrist setback only adds to those concerns, potentially sidelining him during a critical evaluation window. With Tyler Steen leading the competition at left guard and rookie Trevor Keegan pushing for snaps, Green’s path to meaningful playing time and justifying the trade has narrowed considerably. All in a rare case of a trade immediately stalling for reasons neither could have predicted.