Buffalo, New York: Bills Release C.J. Gardner-Johnson One Day After His Reinstatement From a Spitting Suspension

The Buffalo Bills released safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson on Tuesday, one day after his reinstatement from a one game suspension for spitting at an opponent, Field Level Media reported. Gardner-Johnson, 28, started Buffalo's first six games after joining the team during the offseason. His short stay ended less than three weeks after the play that defined it.

The spitting incident and the ban

Gardner-Johnson was ejected from Buffalo's Week 6 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders for spitting in the direction of tight end Brock Bowers. The NFL suspended him without pay for one game. His appeal was denied, and he served the penalty during Buffalo's Week 8 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, a 36 to 10 win that followed the Bills bye week. In his six starts he totaled 26 tackles, two passes defensed and one interception.

A football decision, the reports say

NFL Network reported on Tuesday that the Bills decision was driven more by inconsistency in Gardner-Johnson's play than by the spitting incident. Athlon Sports, citing Bills reporter Matt Parrino, reported that Gardner-Johnson had been inconsistent on the field and does not play special teams, and that Buffalo felt better trusting Damar Hamlin going forward. Hamlin replaced Gardner-Johnson in the starting lineup against Baltimore, recorded five tackles and broke up a pass, and is positioned for an expanded role alongside Cole Bishop. Head coach Joe Brady said on Monday that Hamlin was as consistent as can be, according to the Buffalo News reporting cited by Athlon. Buffalo also has rookie Jalon Kilgore on the active roster. Veteran Geno Stone was elevated from the practice squad for the Baltimore game and returned to the practice squad on Monday.

Another short stay

The release continues a run of short stops around the league. Gardner-Johnson entered the NFL as a fourth round selection by the New Orleans Saints in 2019 and has 21 interceptions in 93 career regular season games. Since leaving New Orleans following the 2021 season, he has been with Philadelphia in 2022 and 2024, Detroit in 2023, and Houston, Baltimore and Chicago in 2025, and he did not play in a game for the Ravens. He helped the Eagles win Super Bowl LIX following the 2024 season.

What happens next

Hamlin and Bishop look like the safety pairing for Monday night against the Minnesota Vikings, and Athlon reported that Buffalo has been linked to Arizona safety Budda Baker and Tennessee safety Amani Hooker ahead of the November 10 trade deadline. Those links are reports, not deals. The Bills are 6-1 and lead the AFC East race into the second half of the season, and Tuesday's move says the staff trusts the replacements it already has.