The NFL suspended Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson for one game on October 20, 2026, for spitting at Brock Bowers. He had denied it the day before, calling it competitive chirping, then apologized the same day as the suspension. Joe Brady has since said the Bills will not cut him. The discussion weighs the one-game penalty against the act and against Buffalo's need for his edge on a defense already giving up 30 points. Whether the suspension fits the offense, and how the Bills cover his absence, remain open.