C.J. Gardner-Johnson: 'We brought all these people in' for Super Bowl

Jun 14, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson (22) during minicamp at the New Orleans Saints Training Facility. Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Saints' C.J. Gardner-Johnson: 'We brought all these people in to win a Super Bowl'

By Adam Stites | Last updated 6/15/22

The New Orleans Saints finished the 2021 season with a 9-8 record and narrowly missed out on a fifth consecutive trip to the playoffs. After adding more pieces in the offseason, Saints safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson is feeling confident about the team's chances at accomplishing more in 2022.

"We didn't bring all these people in here for nothing," Gardner-Johnson said Wednesday, via Nick Underhill. "We brought all these people in here so we can win a Super Bowl."

Among the new faces for the Saints are veteran safeties Tyrann Mathieu, Marcus Maye and Daniel Sorensen, as well as five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Jarvis Landry. In the 2022 NFL Draft, New Orleans used three top-50 picks to select wide receiver Chris Olave, offensive tackle Trevor Penning and cornerback Alontae Taylor.

“We have to capitalize on all these people here. We can’t squander it.” Chauncey Gardner Johnson
— Rod Walker (@RodWalkerNola) June 15, 2022

The 2021 season was the Saints' first in 16 years without Drew Brees, but it still started with a 5-2 record through the first two months of the season. But starting quarterback Jameis Winston suffered a torn ACL in Week 8 and the team lost its first five games without him.

New Orleans finished the year 28th in total offense but allowed the fourth fewest points in the NFL. Gardner-Johnson finished the season with three interceptions, two sacks and four tackles for loss.

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