Bills safety CJ Gardner-Johnson carted off field at training camp

The Buffalo Bills appear to have suffered their first notable injury of training camp.

Presumptive starting safety CJ Gardner-Johnson went down during the 11-on-11 team drills and needed help as the trainers escorted him to the medical tent.

It looked like he got rolled up on and his right foot got caught. The trainers appeared to be looking at the back of his leg, and he spent about seven minutes in the tent before a team staffer drove him on a cart back to the locker room.

Obviously, if this injury is serious, that would be a colossal blow to the defense because Gardner-Johnson was signed as a free agent to provide ball hawking ability, plus be someone who can move around the secondary to present different looks to the opposing offense.

CJ Gardner-Johnson was just taken back to the locker room on a cart. He was evaluated for about seven minutes before being taken back on the cart. pic.twitter.com/rLZcqqWOnk

— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) August 1, 2026

After Gardner-Johnson left practice, fellow free agent veteran signee Geno Stone took his place next to Cole Bishop with the starting unit. Rookie Jalon Kilgore is also in competition at safety, and if Gardner-Johnson is going to miss time, Kilgore could make a real push for that starting spot.

Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for more than four decades including 37 years as the full-time beat writer/columnist for the D&C. He has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills safety CJ Gardner-Johnson carted off field at training camp