On Tuesday, the Buffalo Bills decided to move on from C.J. Gardner-Johnson, releasing the veteran safety after he served his one-game suspension for spitting at Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers.

On the surface, it looks as though Buffalo made the right call. Gardner-Johnson joined the team with a questionable resume, which included being released by the Houston Texans after just three games last season.

What was worse is Gardner-Johnson showed no remorse whatsoever following the incident. He refused to admit he spit at Bowers, even making the ridiculous claim that it was a sign of his competitiveness.

Not everyone agrees, however, as former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho questioned the decision. Acho said the Bills might struggle to win without Gardner-Johnson, who he says was an enforcer on their defense.

"I don't know if I agree because you might need Chauncey to win. Like I think you need an enforcer. The Bills do not have an enforcer on that defense," Acho said.

"Terrell Bernard, good player, not an enforcer. Dorian Williams, good player, not an enforcer. You usually find your enforcers at linebacker. Um, sometimes Seattle Seahawks, you can find them outside at cornerback, but you need a freakazoid like Devin Witherspoon, but you don't have an enforcer up front, Ed Oliver is here today, gone tomorrow. Greg Rousseau having a phenomenal season. He's a good player, but he's not an enforcer."

Acho went on to say that without him being on the defense, he's torn. "The Bills, Where's your enforcer now on defense? ... The Bills lost their enforcer, so I'm torn."

Emmanuel Acho's take misses mark

Acho discussed some of the recent championship teams and pointed out the enforcers on their defense. He mentioned the Philadelphia Eagles who won a title in 2024 with Gardner-Johnson as their defensive enforcer.

There's truth to that after Gardner-Johnson recorded six interceptions for the Eagles that season, but that wasn't the same player Buffalo had in Gardner-Johnson. This season, he was a liability in the secondary, posting a 55.2 overall according to PFF. He also had nine missed tackles in just six games, two of which were in the first half against the Raiders before being ejected.

Gardner-Johnson might have been an enforcer at one point in his career, but he doesn't fall into that category now. Throw in the distraction he became with his antics and the decision to move on was one of the easiest the Bills have made in recent years.