Speaker 1: Well, Sen, you hear him on some of our radio
shows here on Sports Talk Savonnie. We appreciate him taking
a couple of minutes on very short notice to join
us here. Aaron joining us from West Virginia where today
he happened to see a Texan safety go down and
Ross put him on the line for me there, Aeron
first fall, thank you for joining us. Take us back
to what exactly happened as you saw it yourself.
Speaker 2: Yeah, very unfortunate situation for CJ. Gardner Johnson and the
Texans defense from Matt what happened. He was covering wide
receiver John Metschi the third and he went down immediately
grabs his right knee area and he pounds the ground
in frustration and obvious pain. And then it was a
real somber scene as got very quiet on the field
and guys took a knee out of respect for you
got They called cddus that they've come to like in
a very short time. He's become a very popular member
of the team and obviously a big play guy that
likes to talk, likes to have one out there, and
very feisty competitor. And then he's carted off the field,
the guys came over to wish him well. He went
inside the Green Writers Sports Performance Center and shortly a
little bit shortly ago, we talked to Demiko Ryans, who
called it heartbreaking to see him go down like that,
and did not have a specific update. Obviously there's going
to be an MRI and X rays and all that,
and that'll happen today, but doesn't look like they're gonna be,
you know, some sort of good news situation out of this.
People are bracing for the worst, which would be a
season ending injury for CJ. Gardner Johnson. We don't have
a lot of specifics yet, but it was very very
serious injury and wasn't the only guy to fall today.
I saw Christian kirk ball in the field. I don't
know if the surface was bad or not. I did
talk to EJ. Speed about his reaction into what happened
to CJ. Garner Johnson, and it was upsetting. He says
he's got a good family around him, and he says
they're going to be praying for him and trying to
give him all the support they can and definitely cast
a pal over the final day of practice. It would
have been a productive four days here at the Greenbrier.
Could have just semed like happened back in Houston. But
it happened here before the Texans even play a real game.
Speaker 1: Now, not the depth charts me in to everything, but
you know who how many players occupy the safety position?
The depth chart was already.
Speaker 2: Rather lean there.
Speaker 1: How much trouble is a franchise in right now at
that particular position.
Speaker 2: It's an issue because they were counting on him to
galvanize the other safety spot next to Calen Bill. Kellen
bulloks excellent. He had five interceptions last year. But Jimmy
Ward's coming off foot surgery and he has a Felowy
case out in Montgomery County that is still unresolved. He
has an August thirteenth court date. We don't know about
his availability. We don't know the outcome. I can't predict
the future for his case or for when his foot
will be ready because he's still in the cup list.
One option for them is to have Jalen Teacher play
safety again. I think that's something that they will at
least entertain, think about as a personnel and a coaching staff,
which you can do there. Then you could have Arthur Mlett,
who's been a veteran starter as a nickel, and we've
seen some pretty good plays out of Milevis Bryant in
the past, including in the playoffs, So that is an
option you have Rush Yeast and you would have had
I think a guy that could have stepped in in
Jalen Reed, but he sprained his ankle. Season would be
out about three weeks. So not having read right now,
but you know, I think he's going to be back
during the season, so that will give them some flexibility.
But yeah, life without CD deuce not as good for
the defense, but you know, safety position was looking pretty
good with him. You know, it's an inconceivable to Jimmy Ward,
who you know, even though he's thirty four, has still
made some plays, made some plays last year like the
pick six against the Titans that they couldn't get him
in there. But I just don't want to speculate Matt
because you know, that's a felony, third degree felony. We
don't know what's going to happen with him in Montgomery County.
Lawyers told me that he'll be vindicated, but you know,
we'll see. That's what lawyers say.
Speaker 3: Ross with you here as well, Aaron, and you mentioned
a lot of different options in a lot of different
ways that they can kind of address this. Do you
think they will keep it internal with with all those options,
or you think Nick Casserio could look external as well.
Speaker 2: I think he'll look around. That's that's what he always does.
He will look around. I don't know if there's like
a surefire option out there that makes a lot of sense,
we're going to, you know, plug a guy and then
it's probably already the thing on the internet, like, oh well,
let's get this guy, let's get scare, let's trade for somebody.
I don't know. I mean, I think I think he
can get it done with the people he has, you know,
I think, you know, Petrie, that's one good option. You know,
Arthur Malette was he was a starter for Pittsburgh and Baltimore.
He's still a pretty good player. That's something they could do.
You know, he could kind of have some flexibility there
with Nickel, with him and Miles Bryant, or a combination
of Jalen other guys, maybe some other people cross training
at safety, but him, you know, kind of probably the
next man up if you're just not want to shuffle,
we'll probably be m J. Stewart because of his experience
with Jalen Reed. Still sidelined, and you know, it's not
the worst sprained ankle ever, but it's a decent sprained
ankle in the sense that you know, you know, it
was pretty you know, turned his ankle pretty bad. So
at least he was able to walk. But he's working hard.
Trying to get back. Can take time. But I really
liked what I was seeing from him. There were pick sixes,
and I know they weren't hitting, but I know that
he's a big hitter. For Penn State, he had like
ninety eight tackles and force and fumbles. He's about two
hundred and ten pounds. He looks like a little linebacker
in Stocky met him a couple of times, but when
he worked out with all those guys on the middle
school field in the area, and he would see him
out there, and yeah, he's a serious ballplayer. I think
he's a good player. And then he's gonna be hurt
from at some point once he's healthy in the safety position.
And you know, we're not trying to, you know, right
go a bit on season gunner season just yet. But
it didn't look good, and you got to turn the page.
Sometimes that is the hard reality of injuries and pro sports.
And yeah, I feel bad for him, and I got
of known a little bit and a lot of fun
to talk to, a lot of fun to watch play.
And this definitely takes a little bit of spiciness out
of the defense not having him.
Speaker 3: Aaron will Aaron Wilson with us here on Sports Talk
seven ninety. So we know the defense had been looking good.
We'll await some further news on the CJ Gardner Johnson situation.
I saw a couple of reports that the offense was
looking a little bit better today, including the offensive line.
Speaker 2: I think they did a decent job of stonewall in
the rush. It was a scrimmage situation, but unfortunately the
receivers didn't really do their job, and they can play
better than that. Nico Collins had a drop, but it
was an easy touchdown and he didn't catch the football,
and then there was some double where he was another
play where he was open and CJ missed them. So
there were some lapses there. But yeah, they looked, Okay,
they're not gonna have Nick Chubb in this game. He's
got a head injury, so the code for a confession
probably so he's not playing. It was pretty much of
the young guys looking at on a woode bar. Uh.
We don't know yet. Shrouds want to play any snaps.
I can wonder if this injury today gives them any paws.
But they can't put these guys in glass and break
in case of emergency, and at some point they have
to play a little football. He wants to play. We'll
see if he plays it all. Last year in Pittsburgh
he played one series, went five for five. They got
everything done they needed to get done. I think Tank
had a touchdown. We'll think Dell who'll play next year,
not this year. But yeah, it's a tough deal, Matt.
I think you got to get ready. I was just
talking with Nick Kaylee, the OC it'll interview with him
that will play on k p r C, and he's
pretty excited about the rookies like Jayden Higgins and Jalen
Nole and those guys are definitely playing and get them
out there and get their feet wet. And like you've
seening for mariantio ursery and some of the things, some
of the things that are having on offense that are not
alarmists and there's a lot of skuys falling kind of stuff,
and yeah, it's been rough. Well, we don't know yet.
Segue is just that the defense is so good and
the offense is gonna look good against you know, some
teams that don't have a defense like the Texans, or
it would be like this against any defense, you know.
I don't know. They can't answer that question yet, but
it's a concern.
Speaker 1: Lastly, for Aaron Wilson, he is in West Virginia with
the Texans. Aaron Wilson underscore NFL is on Twitter. Aaron
Wilson unders NFL when are you do to get a
update on Joe Mixon. I know that coach was not
overly excited about even talking about that a handful of
days ago. With Nick Chubby, as you mentioned, being out
potentially for a concussion. That running back quote unquote room
is rather a lean as well at this point. So
when do you think the next time we'll hear something
about potentially that this one two punch for the Texans
in the running game.
Speaker 2: I think as we get closer to the first game,
that's when they'll see if they can get him on
the field, and I know that he's not a big
fan of the preseason, but he's made a bunch of progress.
So some of the information I've gotten on him is
that it's definitely a chance he can be ready for
the first game. It's not a lock that he will be,
but that he's got got a shot to do that.
And they're a different offense with the smash mouths element
they have with him and breakaway threats occasionally with Joe.
Right now, it doesn't look great and you've got, you know,
no Nick Chubbs, and you know it's a preseason game,
but you know, basically what you have available is Starigo Mawale.
Damian Pierce did in practice today under the ramp up
that they're doing. Even though yes, he's ready, they're not
going to let him after one walk through practice go
from zero to one hundred and playing a game. So
no Pierce to har Jordan and what he marks, and
you're just gonna have a lot of those type of
guys out there playing for the Texans. And so basically
it's gonna be like kind of a backup Bowl as
my expectation for the Texans. And I just don't know
if we're going to see these starters. If we do,
they'll be out out of there really quick. I do
think we're going to see the offensive line. Maybe they're
the exception and I'd love to watch that. I don't
know if Johnson Gernard is gonna play, and he had
a great game against these guys and we'll pay back.
He was mad when they didn't sign into a new
contract and he left to go to the Vikings and
cashed in there. But he had a point to prove
and he proved it. We'll see if it's in the
action like that. It's just very blue with with preseason,
especially the first one, getting guys out there and seeing
what they're gonna do. I not I guess is there
anybody out there that loves to watch? I would say
just enjoy the backups. That's probably what we're gonna have.