Following the Chicago Bears’ 24-20 victory over the New York Giants at Soldier Field, head coach Ben Johnson stood in the middle of the Bears’ locker room to hand out game balls.

Before Johnson gave one of them to Caleb Williams, who led his team on another comeback victory this season, the Bears’ head coach handed one game ball to C.J. Gardner-Johnson. The veteran defensive back hugged Johnson, smiled and shared some words for his teammates.

“I just want to say I’m grateful for the group of guys that you are,” Gardner-Johnson said. “I was home for almost two months, bro. Missing ball. And being around this group, y’all brought the love back for me. Been waiting for it, and I’m just happy to be a part of a great group. Let’s keep this rolling.”

[READ: Five Bears whose stock went up or down in NFL Week 10 win vs Giants]

Before the Bears signed Gardner-Johnson on Oct. 29, the Philadelphia Eagles traded the veteran defensive back to the Houston Texans in March. He started three games for the Texans, but was released on Sept. 23. The Baltimore Ravens signed him to their practice squad in early October, but he was released a week later.

For whatever reason, his previous teams parted ways with the versatile defensive back, but he’s found an important role with this Bears (6-3) team and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. Against the Giants, Gardner-Johnson finished with a game-high nine total tackles, two sacks and forced a fumble on quarterback Jaxson Dart.

[The in-game meeting that helped spark the Bears to victory]

The Giants were moving down the field on their second offensive possession in the third quarter. On second-and-6 from the Bears’ 28-yard line, New York ran a designed quarterback run. After Dart cleared the first down mark, Gardner-Johnson knocked the ball out, and cornerback Nahshon Wright recovered the fumble.

Gardner-Johnson’s takeaway kept points off the board, and the Bears capitalized with a field goal on their next possession to make it a 17-10 game at the end of the third quarter. Bears safety Jaquan Brisker said after the game that Gardner-Johnson’s forced fumble “sparked” the defense.

“Especially a turnover, it was huge,” Brisker said. “They were driving, they had momentum. That fumble was big. That was our first one, so that was huge. It created us momentum.”

It wasn’t just the forced fumble that made a huge impact in the game, but also Gardner-Johnson’s two sacks. The first occurred on the Giants’ second offensive possession. Gardner-Johnson took down Dart for an 8-yard loss on second-and-10. The Giants punted two plays later.

With the Bears trailing 20-17 late in the fourth quarter, Allen called another nickel blitz for Gardner-Johnson. Like the first one, the veteran DB hit home and sacked the quarterback on third down. Giants punter Jamie Gillan miskicked the football, punting it just 26 yards, which set up Williams to complete the Bears’ comeback.

Gardner-Johnson’s skill set is allowing Allen to keep his defensive playbook open despite Kyler Gordon being on injured reserve. The Bears found a valuable asset at just the right time.

Sunday’s Week 10 game against the Giants was Gardner-Johnson’s 12th day as a member of the Bears’ organization. Although his time in Chicago hasn’t been long, he is making the most out of each opportunity.

“Well, I would say this, I gave him one of the game balls, and he kind of alluded to it,” Johnson said. “You get football taken away from you, which he felt like the last couple months that’s his story, and now he’s here with a bunch of guys rooting for him, and he’s grateful for the opportunity.

“It gives you just a greater sense of appreciation. He’s always been a phenomenal football player. I think he’s found a good home here in Chicago. Our guys are gravitating towards his swagger, his playmaking ability. I think he’s quickly becoming one of us. Certainly not surprised by his performance. I’ve seen it for a long time now.”

Submit your questions below for inclusion in the next Bears mailbag!! 👇