When CJ Gardner-Johnson steps into the season opener against the Green Bay Packers in São Paulo, Brazil, he will be transported back to the last time he wore the Eagles uniform in a game.

“Putting on a jersey that I wore two years ago to go to the Super Bowl is going to be phenomenal,” Gardner-Johnson, who will spend 2023 in Detroit, said Tuesday.

Even though the roster has changed since Gardner-Johnson’s one-year stint with the Eagles in 2022, which ended with an appearance in Super Bowl LVII, the 26-year-old safety still views his return to Philadelphia as a “family reunion.”

That family includes Nick Sirianni, the Eagles’ head coach who is taking on different responsibilities in his fourth season at the helm of the team. With Kellen Moore as the new offensive coordinator in charge of developing the scheme and making plays, Sirianni said in the offseason that he takes on more of a bird’s eye view of his role.

Team culture has always been Sirianni’s responsibility, and Gardner-Johnson says he sets the tone in the first week.

“Coach Nick is our lifeblood,” Gardner-Johnson said. “We all support Coach Nick. We understand that already. He set the standard. We go out there and live by him. It’s coach driven and player led.”

” READ MORE: CJ Gardner-Johnson’s unfiltered training camp press conference and explores what drives this veteran safety

Sirianni came under fire last season when the team, which started 10-1, lost five of its final six regular-season games. The Eagles made it to the wild-card round of the playoffs but suffered a 32-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Still, Jeffrey Lurie stood behind Sirianni at the end of the season, saying at the league’s annual meeting in March that he was “very, very encouraged” by his plan for the team’s future.

While Sirianni will still be under public scrutiny for his performance last year, Gardner-Johnson talked about the importance of “blocking out the outside noise” in 2024.

“No, we’re not showing you anything,” Gardner-Johnson said. “For us to go out there and win a football game shows all of you that Coach Nick is doing everything he has to do for this team. He goes out there and competes at a high level and, like I said, scores on offense. He stops guys on defense.”

“That’s what Coach Nick preaches. And that’s what we’re going to do. We’re always behind him, behind our game.”

Blankenship vs. Packers receiver

The last time the Eagles faced the Packers – a 40-33 win in Week 12 of the 2022 season – Reed Blankenship met Christian Watson, their star rookie receiver who ranked second on the team this year with 611 receiving yards.

Watson, a second-round pick out of North Dakota State, had his best game of the season in Philadelphia. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Watson led the Packers with four catches for 110 yards on the night, including a 63-yard catch-and-run touchdown on a pass from Jordan Love that Blankenship dove after. Love was filling in for the injured Aaron Rodgers, against whom Blankenship recorded his first career interception in the second quarter.

On this explosive scoring play, Blankenship was able to take full advantage of Watson’s 40-yard speed of 4.36 seconds.

“He can rip your shirt off very quickly if you’re not careful,” Blankenship said. “Very smart. Very athletic. And obviously he’s got experience now. So it’s going to be a challenge. But we’re looking forward to it.”

Watson isn’t the only pass-catcher in the Packers’ improved offense, which has been two seasons in the making. Watson, Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks were the top four receivers in the 2023 offense, which ranked third in passing touchdowns. Watson is the oldest of the bunch at 25 years old.

They also have a talented quarterback throwing the ball in Love, a second-year starter. In some ways, Love reminds Blankenship of Jalen Hurts. Both quarterbacks are athletic enough to extend plays – last season, the 25-year-old Packer ranked 13th in the league with 200 scramble yards, while Hurts ranked sixth with 317.

Because of that similarity, meeting Hurts in training to prepare for Love was a significant test, Blankenship said.

“Yeah, especially when Jalen starts running around in practice and stuff, obviously we’re going to have to practice our cast drills and all that,” Blankenship said. “We’ve been working a lot in training camp and hopefully that will translate to the field.”

” READ MORE: Reed Blankenship: The needle in the haystack

Dotson is ready to “play with all his heart”

Less than two weeks after being traded by the Washington Commanders, Jahan Dotson is no longer drinking from a fire hydrant while working his way up the offensive line. Just days before his debut with the Eagles, he is now sipping from a garden hose.

“It was kind of crazy because they basically had me learn the whole playbook in two or three days,” Dotson said. “But once you start game planning for another team, the game plan becomes a lot more streamlined.”

” READ MORE: Thumbs up or down: Analysis of the Jahan Dotson transfer and what it means for the Eagles

The 24-year-old receiver said he felt “really good” about his offensive power ahead of Friday’s game, thanks to his workouts with Aaron Moorehead, his position coach, and the help of his new teammates. The former Penn State star is especially excited about his potential on offense behind AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith, who are frequent targets of double coverage.

“It’s a good opportunity for me to showcase my talent and my ability,” Dotson said. “Especially when teams come up with a game plan for those two, all I have left to do is win. And that’s what I’m going to do. That’s what I’m good at: winning my one-on-one situations.”

“Honestly, I don’t really have my role yet because I’m so new. But I think I’m going to do everything I can to help this team make big plays and get wins. I’m going to put my heart and soul into the game every time I’m out there, whether I’m there for two plays or 25.”

The Eagles play their season opener against the Green Bay Packers in São Paulo, Brazil. Join Eagles reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they analyze the hottest storylines surrounding the team. Matchday Centrallive from the Corinthians Arena.