The Philadelphia Eagles came up just short of a title this past season, falling to the Kansas City Chiefs 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII. With the Lombardi Trophy just a win away, the Birds will evaluate to see what they can improve to make sure things are different in 2023. One thing they will need to pay extra attention to is the NFL free agency period, specifically their own NFL free agents, including CJ Gardner-Johnson.

Acquired from the New Orleans Saints just less than two weeks before the 2022 season opener, the safety became a key part of the team's defense. He ended up recording a career-best 67 tackles, 61 solo and five tackles for loss. He also had two quarterback hits and one sack. Most importantly, he c0-led the league with six interceptions.

The problem is that Philadelphia has plenty of free agents, such as All-Pro James Bradberry and longtime Eagle Jason Kelce. To make matters worse, the Eagles do not have much cap space to work with. Because of that, Gardner-Johnson could be heading somewhere else this summer.

With that being said, here are the three best landing spots for CJ Gardner-Johnson in the 2023 NFL free agency.

3. Detroit Lions

One of the biggest surprises of the second half of the 2022 season was the emergence of the Detroit Lions. Although they missed the playoffs, they won eight out of their last 10 games. Still, there are some areas that they could fix.

Detroit's defense ranked No. 28 as it allowed 25.1 points per game. Of the team's eight losses, four of them were by at most one touchdown. This means that things could have gone very differently with a stronger defensive unit.

Starter Tracy Walker appeared in just three games in 2022 due to an Achilles injury. Since he could still be recovering from it, Gardner-Johnson could be a safe option.

Most notably, signing with the Lions would be somewhat of a reunion for CJ Gardner-Johnson. Head coach Dan Campbell was an assistant in New Orleans with him until 2020. Also, defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn worked with the safety as a defensive back coach in Gardner-Johnson's first two years in the league.

Should he sign with Detroit, Gardner-Johnson could be part of a promising roster- and play under some familiar faces.

2. Cincinnati Bengals

If CJ Gardner-Johnson plans on contending for a title right away, an option for him is joining the Cincinnati Bengals. They have made it to the AFC Championship Game in the past two seasons, which included a trip to the 2022 Super Bowl.

A big part of that success was their defense. In 2022, the Bengals allowed only 20.1 points per contest, the sixth-best mark in the NFL. However, the unit could suffer major setbacks this offseason.

Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell, both the team's starting safeties, are set to hit free agency in 2023. Each player finished the year in Cincinnati's top four in tackles and co-led the team with four interceptions apiece.

If one or both of them leave, the Bengals will have massive shoes to fill. That makes Gardner-Johnson an intriguing option for head coach Zac Taylor. The former Florida Gator is familiar with the big stage, having recently appeared in the Super Bowl, and is able to pick off passes at a high rate.

Gardner-Johnson could be a worthy replacement for either Bates or Bell. The Eagle can maintain or even elevate Cincinnati's defense in 2023, which can come in handy down the line, especially in the playoffs.

With his pass protection, the offense led by Joe Burrow could have more opportunities to score as the Bengals can force more turnovers and punts.

1. Philadelphia Eagles

Finally, another possibility is Gardner-Johnson returning to Philadelphia and trying to win the Super Bowl with the same roster.

As it was previously mentioned, the Eagles are in a tough financial situation. According to Spotrac, they only have about $1.1 million in cap space to work with, disregarding any potential cuts or trades.

Additionally, they have nearly 20 unrestricted free agents. Some of them are leading rusher Miles Sanders and other important defenders such as Brandon Graham and Javon Hargrave.

This means it will be very difficult for the Birds to keep all of them. Still, since the team was only one victory away from winning it all, maintaining its core and adding some extra depth could be what makes Philadelphia a contender once again.

CJ Gardner-Johnson would probably need to sacrifice some of his potential earnings in the 2023 season. As one of the top safeties in the market, he could likely get a bigger paycheck elsewhere.

All things considered, a return to Philadelphia could be the best landing spot for Gardner-Johnson. While he could miss out on a big contract, he would be a step closer to a Super Bowl ring.