If there’s one thing we’ve learned about CJ Gardner-Johnson, it’s that he never bites his tongue.

Well, this is the same guy who rocked a ‘Swifties can LIX my b*lls’ hoodie at the Super Bowl parade just to send a message. So whether it’s trash talk on the field or setting social media on fire, CJGJ keeps it real. And right now? He’s got something to say about the Eagles’ approach to their secondary this offseason.

The Birds are chirping… understandably so. If they hadn’t been moving after completing their revenge against KC, then that would have been a cause for concern. In a bid to line up the championship defense next season, the Philly front office has been busy making moves, releasing veteran cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry while preparing for a potential Brandon Graham retirement.

With the roster shake-up, some have wondered if the Eagles need a seasoned vet to hold things down in the secondary. But CJGJ? He’s not buying it. He hopped on X to make his stance crystal clear: “Vet presence is always needed don’t get me wrong! But bro what ‘Vet’ is needed when young guys can hold their own… Stay with the youth u ask me!!” You won’t find these posts now, and that’s where the problem starts.

But before we start calling him impulsive and/outspoken, it’s better to hear him out because there seems to be a method to his madness. Gardner-Johnson’s confidence in the Eagles’ young talent? You can say that it has deluded him to see the clarity. But then I’d have to back him here. Because the numbers back him too.

Kelee Ringo and Eli Ricks, both Defensive Rookie of the Year finalists, gained valuable experience last season. Oh, then there is Cooper DeJean? The youngest player in Super Bowl history to snag a pick-six. And what about Reed Blankenship? He has quietly become one of the most reliable safeties in the league. CJGJ sees the vision: Why bring in a veteran when the young guns are already battle-tested?

Of course, this wouldn’t be a CJGJ moment without a little spice. He also threw a not-so-subtle reminder about how things went the last time the Eagles replaced him with a vet: “Last Vet that replaced me helped y’all get to the door in the divisional round. REMEMBER THAT!!” A little history lesson, in case anyone forgot.

Naturally, Eagles’ fans started speculating. Was this a shot at Slay? OR Maybe Kevin Byard, who was brought in midseason and later released? CJ Gardner-Johnson shut that down quickly, insisting it wasn’t about a single player but rather a philosophy. He believes in the guys in the locker room. He believes in the youth movement. And above all, he believes in himself.

Is it CJ Gardner-Johnson’s belief that got the Eagles to release Darius Slay?

Maybe. Maybe not. But one thing’s clear—CJ Gardner-Johnson has made his stance loud and clear, and it doesn’t exactly scream bring Slay back. The Eagles made their move, releasing the veteran cornerback, and just like that, a five-year run in Philly was over.

Now, Slay? He’s playing it cool, saying there are “no hard feelings.” But if you’ve been around the NFL long enough, you know how this works—moves like this don’t just happen in a vacuum.

Slay, 34, wasted no time addressing the situation on his Big Play Slay podcast. He was honest about it while saying he saw it coming and that Philly’s front office had a plan. “It is part of the business and, nah, I’m not hurt about it,” he said. “This is what I signed up for.”

He even left the door open for a reunion, saying, “They know I’d love to be back. They know that.” But at the same time, he knows how this game works. Younger, cheaper talent usually wins out. And that’s exactly what Gardner-Johnson has been preaching.

Now, add to that, the Eagles have plenty of defensively talented guys on their roster. So, you know what Slay meant when he himself said: “If I ain’t in that building, Reed Blankenship will be a great, tremendous leader.” And that’s just one name out of the bunch we mentioned above.

As for this ‘veteran’ departing? I mean, we all saw it… Even when he was beyond his prime years, Slay was slaying. He had a pick, five pass breakups, and locked in when the stakes were highest. No one can toss aside that kind of presence. At least, not unless a team is making a very deliberate choice. And the front office has made the choice. Philly must stick to it and move on to seek for their ‘next man’.