After Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots' upset road victory against Josh Allen and the previously unbeaten Buffalo Bills, all Bills defensive back CJ Gardner-Johnson wanted to do was downplay the game-winning exploits of Patriots wide receiver Efton Chism III.
Gardner-Johnson tried to downplay what Chism did by calling him a "practice squad player" and implying that his game-winning one-handed touchdown catch was down to luck rather than his own skill. When given a chance to respond, Vrabel took aim at a player in Gardner-Johnson who has not been able to stick with one team for very long.
Vrabel called the veteran defensive back Gardner-Johnson a "guy that's been on eight teams in four years" when asked about his dig at Chism, saying that he "knows the drill" of being at the back end of the roster, all while dismissing the criticism while laughing it off.
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel digs CJ Gardner-Johnson
Gardner-Johnson hasn't been a bad player, as he was a contributor on a champion Eagles team and was rock-solid with the New Orleans Saints early in his career. However, there's a reason that team after team has continued to pick him for a short spell before dumping him unceremoniously, and it's not just his inability to stay healthy.
Gardner-Johnson is no stranger to making inflammatory quotes, and that brash personality is as entwined with his overall package as a player as any trait he shows on the field. That looks great when he is playing well and the team is winning, but losses like this only make fans of the team who beat him even giddier.
On top of the fact that this criticism comes off as the sourest of grapes, it's not even accurate. Chism is not on the Patriots' practice squad, and never has been. If he's a practice squad player, and you're such a tremendous talent, why was he able to haul in the game-winning catch, CJ?
Patriots WR Efton Chism III made Chauncey Gardner-Johnson look foolish
Chism, who made the team in 2025 as an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Washington, already has more catches (four) than he had during his entire rookie campaign (three) in 2025.
While by no means a star in the making, catches like the one he made in the Buffalo game show that he is without question a talent worthy of being in this Patriots offense.
Vrabel knows that Gardner-Johnson's quotes are only to get under the skin of whoever he just played against or will play against in the coming week. Dismissing him in the way that he did not only backed up Chism, but also made what sounded like some incendiary comments fade away.
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