LAKE FOREST, Ill. — C.J. Gardner-Johnson likes to start his day early. 

The veteran defensive back is at Halas Hall by 6 a.m. to go over details of Dennis Allen’s defense, a system he was a part of in New Orleans from 2019-21 when Allen was the defensive play caller. 

With Gardner-Johnson are defensive backs and passing game coordinator Al Harris and nickels defensive assistant Cannon Matthews. 

“Yeah, I’m not a morning person, but whatever it takes to get it done and so to his credit, a guy that knew the system, but still wanted to make sure he was fine-tuned to anything that may have changed over that time and it’s his idea and we’ve been rolling with it,” Matthews said.

[READ: C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s playmaking skills making impact for Bears]

Those early morning meetings have been paying off with Gardner-Johnson seamlessly taking over as the starting nickelback in place of an injured Kyler Gordon. In two games played, Gardner-Johnson has three sacks, nine total tackles and a forced fumble. 

One area that has helped Gardner-Johnson’s transition is reviewing the communication that is required to play nickel corner in Allen’s defense.

“I don’t care how you play, whatever, if you can’t communicate, you can’t play for us,” Matthew said. “So that’s the first thing, so in meetings we’re making those guys talk, make all the calls, all the checks just to get the confidence to the other guys in the room that they know what they are talking about and then that has to translate to the field. So that is really the first thing that we are doing is if you can’t talk at that position, it’s going to be hard to play.”

Allen’s prior experience with the former fourth-round draft pick from Florida gave the Bears’ defensive coordinator confidence he would fit in well with this Bears defense and, more importantly, the entire team.

Gardner-Johnson had brief stops with the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens this season before landing in Chicago. For whatever reason, it didn’t work out for the 27-year-old with his previous teams.

“People got their own agenda or what is it, message of me but they don’t know me,” Gardner-Johnson said. “I’ve been in a lot of buildings but people still haven’t tried to get to know me. So being here with people I’ve played with, drafted with, I’m comfortable, they comfortable. We obviously winning, so let’s keep it going.”

Harris and Matthews have utilized those 6 a.m. meetings to get to know Gardner-Johnson off the field, which has given the coaches insight into an individual who may have been misperceived on previous teams.

“Just a prideful person in his craft,” Matthews said. “He wants to be the best. You hear a lot of guys say that, but you can truly feel that from him. So like I said, those meetings in the morning, this week we are going over the game, going over some corrections, like, you’re kinda good here, ‘Naw, I got to be exact.’ That is who he is. You kind of hear stories about, I’ve heard that from different coaches that have had him, but to see it, I truly feel that is who he is. He wants to be the best.”

For Gardner-Johnson to achieve that goal, it will take team success. Gardner-Johnson already has a Super Bowl with the Eagles’ win over the Chiefs last season. Head coach Ben Johnson and Gardner-Johnson also felt a glimpse of that team success when they were both on the Detroit Lions in 2023.

“Me and Ben have been to a conference championship together, so his attitude is to win now, execute at a high level and take care of your teammates, and I think that is what I am here to do,” Gardner-Johnson said. “Being in a locker room that is very team-friendly and easy and outgoing, it’s easy for me to come in and really just be me and not try to fit where needed, just do what is asked of me and continue to play good football.”

Right now, that’s what Gardner-Johnson has done since the Bears acquired him. Eight games remain in the 2025 regular season, and this week will be Gardner-Johnson’s first NFC North road test as a member of the Bears’ organization.

The Minnesota Vikings are currently in last place in the division. Sunday’s contest at U.S. Bank Stadium is primed to be a hostile environment and one that will require trust from the entire Bears secondary to contain receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.

But Allen knows what he has in Gardner-Johnson, and that can go a long way in helping the Bears’ defense through this final stretch of the season.

“I think there’s a trust level on both sides,” Allen said. “I know exactly what we’re getting in the player, and I think it’s positive. I think he understands how we’re going to operate and how we do things and really can appreciate that. I think, as with every relationship that anybody’s ever in, it starts with building trust. Then, from there goes communication and having open dialogue in terms of what’s expected in all different situations. I think he trusts that what we’re asking him to do and what we’re telling him that we need to do is the right thing to do. I think it’s been good.”