DELATRON JOHNSON CARRIED the worry of a mother watching her child struggle. It was early October, and her son, C.J. Gardner-Johnson , had just been released from the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad.

The highs of winning Super Bowl LIX eight months earlier felt like they happened in another lifetime. It was the defensive back's second stint with the Philadelphia Eagles , who beat the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22, to win the Lombardi Trophy.

But in October, Gardner-Johnson was a free agent. The stability he had once felt was gone, and he was unsure how to handle what would come next.

"Your mental is f---ed up when ball is taken away," Gardner-Johnson recently told ESPN. "We're guys. We're taught to be tough and strong and courageous from 10 years old to however long you play football,

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