Here’s why the Eagles season opener in Brazil feels like a ‘family reunion’ for safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson

When C.J. Gardner-Johnson suits up for the season opener against the Green Bay Packers in São Paulo, Brazil, he’ll be transported back to the last time he donned an Eagles uniform in a game.

“Putting on a jersey that I put on two years ago to go to the Super Bowl is going to be phenomenal,” Gardner-Johnson, who spent 2023 in Detroit, said Tuesday.

Even though the roster has changed since Gardner-Johnson’s one-year stint with the Eagles in 2022 that ended with a Super Bowl LVII appearance, the 26-year-old safety still considers his return to Philadelphia a “family reunion.”

That family includes Nick Sirianni, the Eagles head coach who is assuming different responsibilities in his fourth season at the helm of the team. With Kellen Moore in place as the new offensive coordinator who is responsible for designing the scheme and calling the plays, Sirianni has said throughout the offseason that he’s taking more of a “30,000-foot view” approach to his role.

Team culture has always fallen under Sirianni’s purview, and according to Gardner-Johnson, he’s setting the tone going into Week 1.

“We all feed off of Coach Nick,” Gardner-Johnson said. “We’re all backing Coach Nick. We already understand. He set the standard. We go out there and we live through him. It’s coach-fed, player-led.”

» READ MORE: C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s unfiltered press conference at training camp and explores what drives this veteran safety

Sirianni came under fire last season when the team that had started 10-1 proceeded to lose five of its final six regular-season games. While the Eagles made it to the wild-card round of the playoffs, they suffered a 32-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Still, Jeffrey Lurie stood by Sirianni at the end of the season, stating at the annual league meeting in March that he was “very, very encouraged” by his plan for the team going forward.

While Sirianni may be facing lingering public scrutiny for last year’s finish, Gardner-Johnson discussed the importance of “shutting the door on the outside noise” in 2024.

“No, we ain’t showing you guys nothing,” Gardner-Johnson said. “Us going out there and winning a football game is showing y’all Coach Nick is doing everything he needs to do for this team. Going out there and just competing at a high level, and, like I said, scoring [the] football on offense. Stopping guys on defense.

“That’s what Coach Nick’s preaching. That’s what we’re going to do. We’re always behind him, behind our play.”

The last time the Eagles faced the Packers — in a 40-33 win in Week 12 of the 2022 season — Reed Blankenship became well-acquainted with Christian Watson, their star rookie receiver who finished second on the team with 611 receiving yards that year.

Watson, the second-rounder out of North Dakota State, had his best game of the season in Philadelphia. The 6-foot-4, 208-pound Watson led the Packers that night with four receptions for 110 yards, which included a 63-yard catch-and-run touchdown on a pass from Jordan Love that left Blankenship diving after him in his wake. Love had replaced an injured Aaron Rodgers, against whom Blankenship registered his first career interception in the second quarter.

On that explosive scoring play, Blankenship saw every bit of Watson’s 4.36-second 40-yard speed put to use.

“He can take the top off very fast if you’re not paying attention,” Blankenship said. “Very smart. Very athletic. And, obviously, he’s experienced now. So it’s going to be a challenge. But we’re excited for it.”

Watson isn’t the only pass-catching threat in the Packers’ upgraded offense that has been two seasons in the making. Watson, Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, and Dontayvion Wicks were the top four receivers in the 2023 offense that ranked No. 3 in passing touchdowns. Watson is the oldest of the bunch at age 25.

They also have a talented quarterback slinging them the ball in Love, the second-year starter. In some ways, Love reminds Blankenship of Jalen Hurts. Both quarterbacks have the athleticism to extend plays — last season, the 25-year-old Packer finished No. 13 in the league with 200 scramble yards, while Hurts was ranked No. 6 with 317.

Because of that similarity, Blankenship said preparing for Love by facing Hurts in practice has been a meaningful test.

“Yeah, especially when Jalen starts scrambling in practice and stuff, we obviously have to practice our plaster drill and all that,” Blankenship said. “We’ve had a lot of work during training camp, and hopefully it’ll translate on the field.”

» READ MORE: Reed Blankenship: Needle in the Haystack

Nearly two weeks after being traded by the Washington Commanders, Jahan Dotson is no longer drinking from a fire hydrant as he gets up to speed in the offense. He’s sipping from a garden hose just a few days away from his Eagles debut.

“It was kind of crazy, ‘cause they kind of had me learn the entire playbook in like two, three days,” Dotson said. “But once you get into game planning for a different team, it slims down the game plan significantly.”

» READ MORE: Thumbs up or down: Breaking down the Jahan Dotson trade and what it means for the Eagles

The 24-year-old receiver said he feels “really good” about his grasp on the offense going into Friday’s game thanks to his study sessions with Aaron Moorehead, his position coach, and the help of his new teammates. The former Penn State standout is particularly excited about his potential in the offense behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, who are frequent subjects of double-teams.

“It’s a good opportunity for me to showcase my talent and what I can do,” Dotson said. “Especially when teams are going to game plan for those two, that leaves me. That leaves me to have to go win. And I’m going to go do that. That’s what I’m good at, is winning my one-on-ones.

“Honestly, my role, I don’t really have a role yet, ‘cause I’m so new. But I feel like any way I’m able to help this team create big plays and create wins, I’m going to do that. I’m going to play my heart out every time I’m out there, no matter if I’m in there for two plays or 25 plays.”

The Eagles play in their season opener against the Green Bay Packers in São Paulo, Brazil. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Corinthians Arena.