The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - KPRC’s Aaron Wilson Joins After C.J. Gardner Johnson Goes Down During Texans Training Camp

Episode Date: August 7, 2025

KPRC’s Aaron Wilson Joins After C.J. Gardner Johnson Goes Down During Texans Training Camp

Wilson, you hear him on some of our radio shows here on Sports Talk, 70. We appreciate him taking a couple 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. Aaron, first of all, thank you for joining us. Take us back to what exactly happened as you saw yourself. Yeah, very unfortunate situation for CJ Gardner Johnson and the Texans defense. from Matt, what happened, he was covering wider receiver John Mechie the third,

and he went down, immediately grabbed 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 a guy they call CD-duce that they've come to like in a very short time. He's become a very popular member of the team. And obviously, you know, a big play guy that likes to talk, likes to have fun 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 Rider Sports Performance Center. And shortly ago, we talked to D'Amico Ryan, who called it heartbreaking to see him go down like that. And he 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 it doesn't look like there are going to 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 we only got a fall today. I saw Christian Kirk fall on the field. I don't know if the surface was bad or not.

I did talk to E.J. Speed about his reaction to what happened to C.J. Gardner Johnson, and it was upsetting. He says he's glad 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. It could have just seemed like happened back in Houston, but it happened here before the Texans even play a real game. Now, not the debt charts mean everything, but you know how many players occupy the safety position. The debt chart was already rather to lean there. How much trouble is the franchise in right now at that particular position? It's an issue because they were counting on him to galvanize the other safety spot next to Kalen Bull. Kellen Bullock's excellent. He had five interceptions last year.

But Jimmy Ward's coming off foot surgery. He has a felony case out in Montgomery County that is still unresolved. He has an August 13th 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 on the BUP list. One option for them is to have Jalen Petrie play safety again. I think that's something that they will at least entertain and think about as a personnel and a coaching staff,

which you can do there, then you could have Arthur Mollett, who's been a veteran starter as a nickel. And we've seen some pretty good plays out of mouth spryant 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. He's going to be out about three weeks. So not having Reed right now, but, you know, I think he's going to be back during the season.

and so that will give them some flexibility. But yeah, life without CD-D-Dose, not as good for the defense, but, you know, safety position was looking pretty good with him. You know, as an inconceivable to Jimmy Ward, who, you know, even though he's 34, 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 Hammond, Montgomery County. Understood. lawyers told me that he'll be vindicated, but we'll see. That's what lawyers say. Ross, with you here as well, Aaron, and you mentioned a lot of different options and a lot of different ways that they can kind of address this. Do you think they will keep it internal with all those options? Or you think Nick Casario could look external as well? I think he'll look around. That's what he always does. He'll 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 in it. It's probably already the thing on the internet. Like, oh, well, let's get this guy. Let's get this guy. Let's trade for somebody. I don't know. I mean, I think he can get it done with the people he has. I mean, you know, Petrie, that's one good option. You know, Arthur Millett, he was a starter for Pittsburgh and Baltimore. He's still a pretty good player. That's something they could do. You know, you could kind of have some flexibility there with nickel with him and Miles Bryant

or a combination of Jaylen, other guys. maybe some other people cross-training at safety. But I am, you know, probably the next man up, if you're just not wanting to shuffle, would probably be MJ Stewart because there's experience with Jalen Reed still sideline. And, you know, it's not the worst sprained ankle ever, but it's a decent sprained ankle in the sense that, 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. It's going to 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 98 tackles and force and fumbles.

He's about 210 pounds. He looks like a little line battery short and stocky in, met him a couple of times, including 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 ball player. I think he's a good player, and then he's going to be heard from at some point

once he's healthy in the safety position. And, you know, we're not trying to, you know, write a little bit on season just yet, but it didn't look good. And you got to turn the page sometimes. And that is the hard reality of injuries and pro sports. And, yeah, I feel bad for him. And I got 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.

Aaron Wilson with us here on Sports Talk 790. So we know the defense had been looking good. We'll await some further news on the C.J. Gardner-Johnson situation. I saw a couple reports that the offense was looking a little bit better today, including the offensive line. I think they did a decent job of Stonewall and 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.

what it was a easy touchdown and he didn't catch the football and then there were some where he was another play where he was open and cj missed him so there were some lapses there but yeah they they looked okay uh you're not going to have nick chub uh in this game he's got a head injury so like code for a confession probably so he's not playing it would be a bunch of the young guys with a lot of bitty marks uh we don't know yet he just droughts one play any snaps. I can wonder if this injury today gives them any pause, but you can't put these guys in glass and break in case of emergency.

At some point, they have to play a little football. He wants to play. We'll see if he plays at all. Last year in Pittsburgh, he played one series, went five for five. They got everything they done they needed to get done. I think Tank had a touchdown. Well, Tank Dell, who will play next year, not this year. But, yeah, it's a tough deal, Matt.

I think he had to get ready. I was just talking with Nick Cayley, the O.C. It will interview with him that will play on KPRC. And he's pretty excited about the rookies, like Jaden Higgins and Jalen Knoll, and those guys are definitely playing. And we get them out there and get their feet wet and, like, so he's seeing for Marianti orsuri and some of the things, some of the things are happening in offense that are not alarmist,

and there's a lot of skies falling kind of stuff. And, yeah, it's been rough. Well, we don't know yet, segue, is it just, that the defense is so good and the offense is going to 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. I can't answer that question yet, but it's a concern.

Lastly, for Aaron Wilson, he is in West Virginia with the Texans. Aaron Wilson underscore NFL is on Twitter. Aaron Wilson underscore NFL. When are you due to get a update on Joe Mix? And 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 lean as well at this point. So when do you think the next time we'll hear something about potentially this one-two punch for the Texans on the running game?

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 a shot to do that. And there are different offense with Joe, the smash-mouth element they have with them and breakaway threats occasionally with Joe. Right now, it doesn't look great.

I mean, you've got, you know, no Nick Chubb. It's a preseason game, but, you know, basically what you have available is Dargo-Mawale, Damien Pierce didn't 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 100 and play in a game. So no Pierce, Jahar Jordan, and Woody Marks,

and you're just going to have a lot of those type of guys out there playing for the Texans. And basically, it's going to be like kind of a backup bowl, is 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 of there really quick. I do think we're going to see the offense of line. Maybe they're the exception, and I'd love to watch that.

I don't know if Jonathan Gernard's going to play, and he had a great game against these guys. And he was mad when they didn't sign into a new contract, and he left to go to the Vikings that cashed in there. But he had a point to prove, and he proved it. We'll see if it's any action like that. It's just very fluid with preseason, especially the first one, getting guys out there and seeing what they're going to do.

So I guess for anybody out there that loves to watch, I would say just enjoy the backups. That's probably what we're going to have.