The Buffalo Bills received encouraging news late on Saturday, August 1, with further tests revealing that safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson suffered only “a lower calf strain.” ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter, citing anonymous sources, was first to share the injury update on Gardner-Johnson.

Initial reports out of St. John Fisher College Saturday morning showed considerable concern, with several people calling attention the fact that the team’s athletic trainers were looking closely at Gardner-Johnson’s lower rear leg. When Gardner-Johnson was helped off the field and went to the medical tent only to then be seen hitching a cart ride to the locker room, murmurs of the word “Achilles” began to surface.

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It would turn out to be an honest bit of overreaction by many outside observers, with any season-ending fears all but put to bed by left tackle Dion Dawkins when speaking with reporters after practice. Prior to the latest report of a strained calf, Dawkins informed those gathered around him that he walked up to Gardner-Johnson asking: “‘You alright? Take care of yourself — can you walk?’ And he got up and he did his thing, he could put weight on his legs, so he can walk,” adding “he’s alright.”

Dawkins’ comments are stone-cold reminder that injuries thrive in the violence of NFL football. It’s warranted to have shown so much concern for Gardner-Johnson’s health, especially when there’s a chance that any number of other serious outcomes could have been diagnosed. We don’t know the severity of the injury, but multiple medical outlets debrief that a Grade 1 strain to the area takes anywhere between one to three weeks to heal. A Grade 2 lower calf strain can take anywhere from four to eight weeks to fully heal.

Thankfully, this appears to be a minor setback for one of the Bills’ biggest personalities, and someone who could play a serious role during the 2026 NFL season.