PHILADELPHIA — Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio did not lose any sleep after the team traded safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans this offseason.

“That was a salary cap-type thing, and (Eagles general manager) Howie (Roseman) made that decision," Fangio told reporters before Tuesday’s OTA practice. “I was fine with it.”

Despite Gardner-Johnson being super productive last season, the Eagles decided to move on from him in exchange for first-round bust Kenyon Green, proving that they don’t value him highly.

Gardner-Johnson got upset with Fangio’s response, causing his outburst Wednesday afternoon on Instagram.

The 27-year-old safety is still thinking about his old team, but his former teammates and coaches are not worrying about him.

The Eagles could replace Gardner-Johnson with second-round draft pick Drew Mukuba or third-year player Sydney Brown. Fangio also said backup safety Tristin McCollum shouldn’t be counted out of the competition.

“Obviously, you don’t know as a player. I don’t make those decisions, but he was a great player for us, and I wish him the best in Houston, too,” Eagles safety Reed Blankenship said Tuesday. “But it’s the next guys up in the room. I feel like we got the guys in the locker room to fill that position in. It’s gonna be tough, but it is what it is. It’s a business out there.”

The Eagles’ secondary struggled in 2023 after losing Gardner-Johnson to the Detroit Lions that offseason, but this time around, the group shouldn’t regress.

Philadelphia’s current secondary is young and full of energy, while the 2023 team’s defensive back group consisted of old, regressing players. The cornerback and safety positions have improved significantly since then, adding cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, whose contributions helped the Eagles win Super Bowl LIX over the Kansas City Chiefs, in last year’s draft.

At safety, the Eagles did a good job of replacing Gardner-Johnson with a rookie (Mukuba) who could be the long-term answer at the position, and hopefully, the short-term answer, too. Two years ago, the defense relied upon mediocre veterans (Terrell Edmunds, Justin Evans and Kevin Byard) to fill Gardner-Johnson’s spot — and the plan failed.

Now, the Eagles have one of the league’s most talented secondaries, so they don’t need Gardner-Johnson as much.

“I ain’t gonna lose a step because of that,” Blankenship said about playing next to a young player, whether it’s Mukuba or Brown. “They got to know what to do. And obviously, I’m not just going to let them hang out to dry. That’s not my job. My job is to bring everybody along with me.”

Although Gardner-Johnson had limitations in coverage, which resulted in him giving up nine passing touchdowns last season, including the playoffs, his six interceptions won’t be easy to replace.

But his ball skills wasn’t the top thing Philadelphia missed about him during the 2023 season.

Gardner-Johnson plays with an edge, trash-talks opponents and delivers big hits, setting the tone for the Eagles’ secondary in 2022 and 2024.

None of the Eagles’ defensive backs were able to replace his swagger in 2023, making them a less confident bunch.

DeJean, Mitchell and Blankenship won’t let that happen again, instilling the rest of their teammates with belief.

“We understand that. We have a swag to us now. We’re not going to worry about that anymore. We have the guys in the room to continue doing that,” Blankenship said.

After releasing cornerback Darius Slay in free agency and trading away Gardner-Johnson, the Eagles created a leadership void, but it shouldn’t be too hard to find their next leader.

“Reed being around me and a lot of veterans before, I’m sure he could lead that group the right way,” Slay said on his podcast in March. “That’s who I feel would be leading the group if I ain’t in the building. He’s a great damn leader. If they brought another veteran in who has played a lot, they could be a leader. But for sure, if I’m not in that room, Reed Blankenship will be a great one.”

Blankenship, who is in the final year of his contract, has only been in the league for three years, but he’s mature for his age (26), gaining the respect of his teammates.

He needs to replace Gardner-Johnson’s on-field production and passionate energy to help the Eagles’ secondary be elite again.

“It’s an honor,” Blankenship said about Slay’s comments. “I came into the room with Slay. Just seeing how he operates, seeing how he leads, just trying to model my leadership role like that. You come into the league, and he’s been here for years.

“You don’t know how he’s going to be, but he just came (to me) with open arms and took me under his wing. And like I said, I learned a lot from him and him saying that is a huge honor. I try my best to teach these guys what I’ve been taught. It’s one of those things (where) they can take what I teach them or not, but I always let them know that I’m a strong shoulder to lean on with anything. And just to be that guy with the open door policy type thing.”

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.