C.J. Gardner-Johnson got asked about the one-handed touchdown catch Efton Chism III made on him and his defense, and he answered the way he has answered every question like this for years: with a shrug and a shiv. Chism, he said, is a "practice squad player" who "made a hell of a catch." Then came the kicker, that it "probably" will never happen again.
Probably. That is a beautiful word. It is the word you use when you watched the replay too.
What C.J. Gardner-Johnson said about Efton Chism III
Two things are true at once here, which is what makes it fun instead of ugly. Gardner-Johnson did credit the catch. "A hell of a catch" is not nothing coming from a safety who does not hand out compliments like candy. He also made sure everyone understood where the man who made it sits on a depth chart. That is the whole trick of his quote: praise the hand, demote the player.
And look, he is not wrong on the resume. Chism is an undrafted receiver out of Eastern Washington who has been living the practice squad life in New England, the kind of player whose Sunday availability is a weekly question rather than a given. The label is accurate. The label is also the exact thing that makes the catch worth talking about on a Monday.
Why the "practice squad player" line misses
The NFL has spent its entire modern history losing this argument. Gardner-Johnson is describing a receiver's past. The receiver was describing his present, one-handed, in the end zone, with a defensive back draped on him.
Checked the almanac on this one. Wes Welker went undrafted out of Texas Tech and was cut after a single game in San Diego before he became the most reliable slot receiver of his era, in New England of all places. Kurt Warner was stocking shelves and playing Arena ball before he won a Super Bowl MVP. James Harrison got cut more times than most players get starts and then won Defensive Player of the Year in 2008. Nobody in that group was a prospect. All of them were, eventually, a problem.
One beat of wonder, then back to business: the practice squad is not a talent verdict. It is a roster math verdict. Those are different things and every coach in the league knows it.
This is who Gardner-Johnson has always been
None of this is out of character. Gardner-Johnson has been collecting on-field feuds since his New Orleans days, and he has built a long career out of being the most irritating man on the field in a way his own locker rooms tend to appreciate. He talks, he baits, he plays with his chest out, and he has the ball production to back a decent amount of it. You do not get to be that guy for this many seasons on accident.
So read the quote correctly. This is not a man shaken by a backup. This is a man doing the thing he does, which is make sure the last word belongs to him even when the last highlight did not. That is a tell about his personality, not about Chism's ceiling.
What comes next for Efton Chism III
For Chism, the honest answer is that a one-handed touchdown does not guarantee snaps. It gets you looked at. Practice squad receivers climb on special teams reps, on third down trust, on a coordinator deciding the kid can be counted on in a quiet moment, not a loud one. The catch buys him attention. The next three weeks of practice decide whether it buys him a job.
What I am watching is simple: Chism's usage going forward, and whether New England gives him anything beyond a situational package. And the next time these two share a field, because somebody is going to bring a receipt.
It is October. The league is finally interesting. For the love of the game, let the kid talk back.