New Orleans Saints rookie Chauncey Gardner-Johnson had a nightmare moment in his professional regular season debut. With 0:37 left in the game and the score tied at 27, the Houston Texans lined up to kick a potentially game-winning extra point. The kick went just outside the right upright, however, Gardner-Johnson was flagged for roughing the kicker.
Houston took the lead on the second extra point attempt and the rookie spent the next several minutes on the sideline in agony with a towel over his head. Fortunately, New Orleans managed to get downfield quickly on the ensuing drive and kick a game-winning field goal.
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson Getting More Opportunities
Quiet Start for Gardner-Johnson
Gardner-Johnson wouldn’t get many chances to redeem himself over the next five games. While the fourth-rounder continued to see a lot of action on special teams, he played just 64 snaps on defense. That’s not to say Gardner-Johnson wasn’t playing well during that span. He had been quietly effective when he did get chances on defense.
During that five-week span, Gardner-Johnson was targeted only three times in coverage, yielding just two catches for 11 yards. He also made some impact as a blitzer, including a nice pass rush and hit on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott on the final play of the game.
Gardner-Johnson’s biggest highlight came on a strong open-field tackle on Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette in week six.
The Jaguars faced a third and seven on their first drive of the game. Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew faced immediate pressure and checked down to Fournette, who appeared to have a clear path to a first down. However, Gardner-Johnson turned on the jets just as Minshew released the pass, caught up with Fournette, and brought him down a yard shy of the first down marker.
A week later, P.J. Williams began serving a two-game suspension, elevating Gardner-Johnson into the starting lineup against the Chicago Bears. The rookie certainly capitalized on the opportunity, recording seven solo tackles (three for losses), two pass breakups and a quarterback hit.
Gardner-Johnson vs. Tarik Cohen
Like the previous week, Gardner-Johnson made a strong tackle on his opponent’s first possession, this time on their first play. The Bears tried some misdirection on a handoff to running back Tarik Cohen, but Gardner-Johnson stayed in his gap and held Cohen to a one-yard gain.
Gardner-Johnson got the best of Cohen throughout the game. On a third and two play late in the second quarter, Chicago set up a pass to Cohen in the flat. The Bears three receivers ran inside routes to open up space for Cohen, but Gardner-Johnson didn’t take the bait and remained in his zone. He reached Cohen just as the running back turned upfield and tripped him up for a five-yard loss.
Less than a minute of game time later, Gardner-Johnson dropped Cohen for another loss, this time on a punt. A Bears blocker was unable to set his feet as he initiated contact with Gardner-Johnson a few yards in front of Cohen. Gardner-Johnson easily put the blocker on skates and brought Cohen down for a four-yard loss.
Gardner-Johnson made Cohen lose yardage a third time on one of the most memorable plays of the game. Cohen caught a pass in the flat and Gardner-Johnson hit the running back hard. Cohen impressively slipped away and back-tracked, but would have been better off keeping his forward progress. Gardner-Johnson reset, kept his angle on Cohen and held on for the tackle despite a strong burst from the running back.
Despite the loss of six yards, Cohen started jawing at the rookie and Gardner-Johnson proceeded to mock Cohen for his short stature. Whether it was a coincidence or not, Chicago targeted Gardner-Johnson more in the passing game after that.
Mixed Performance on Late Red Zone Sequence
Gardner-Johnson had to defend three passes in a four-down red zone sequence in the fourth quarter.
On first and goal from the seven yard-line, Gardner-Johnson followed receiver Anthony Miller on a quick out route from the left slot. Miller had to jump for the ball and Gardner-Johnson got his hands between the receiver’s arms to ensure he wouldn’t come down with the pass.
Two plays later, he kept inside leverage on Cordarrelle Patterson, read the quarterback’s eyes, and nearly intercepted the pass.
On fourth down, Gardner-Johnson faced a daunting matchup as he lined up across from Allen Robinson in the slot. He missed his jam on Robinson and the receiver found space in the back of the end zone for a touchdown catch.
It appeared that Marshon Lattimore was supposed to provide support over the top but he stayed on the outside with no one to cover. Still, Gardner-Johnson had to land his jam on Robinson for the Saints to have a good shot at defending the route.
Every player’s rookie season is somewhat of a trial by fire and this play will likely be a valuable learning experience for Gardner-Johnson.
Further Notes
By the end of the game, Gardner-Johnson had been targeted 11 times. Receivers caught seven passes against him, but all were short passes at or behind the line of scrimmage. All 18 receiving yards allowed by Gardner-Johnson were yards after the catch.
While Gardner-Johnson impressed in his starting debut, he’ll face far tougher challenges in the coming weeks and years. Chicago has the fourth-lowest passing yards per game average and the second-lowest yards per attempt average in the NFL. It was a great time for Gardner-Johnson to get his first heavy NFL action.
The rookie should see plenty of action again next week with P.J. Williams finishing up his two-game suspension. He’ll face an Arizona Cardinals passing offense that also ranks near the bottom of the league, but is more creative and explosive than Chicago’s.
If Gardner-Johnson can play well again against Arizona, he could challenge Williams for the majority of snaps at nickel back. Williams is in a contract season and has struggled with consistency throughout his career. While it’s a small sample size, Gardner-Johnson is starting to look like the upgrade the Saints have been looking for at the position.
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