​NEW SMYRNA BEACH — NFL safety CJ Gardner-Johnson held tackle wheels, completed various agility drills and ran a 40-yard dash.It wasn’t a scene from the new Buffalo Bills signee’s private practice regimen before training camp begins in two weeks, but rather a demonstration at his self-titled youth football camp held on July 12 at New Smyrna Beach Sports Complex.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt was the third straight year the Cocoa native hosted the camp to give local middle and high schoolers the opportunity to observe and participate in NFL-adjacent workouts with a hand-selected coaching staff. New Smyrna Beach head coach John Wilkinson, Gardner-Johnson’s high school coach at Cocoa, was also a central figure.1 / 14Buffalo Bills safety CJ Gardner-Johnson speaks to campers during his annual youth football camp on July 12, 2026, at New Smyrna Beach Sports Complex.(Provided by Jayden Blythe)Not-so-coincidentally, the clientele for Sunday’s NFLer-led camp was largely filled with athletes from those two cities, but it was open to anyone that made the trek to New Smyrna Beach.“It was good to see some Cocoa kids, and then a lot of New Smyrna, some Titusville, Rockledge, Merritt Island. Merritt Island had several kids here, so it was good,” Wilkinson said.The first edition of Gardner-Johnson’s camp was successfully held in 2024, but inclement weather significantly abbreviated it in 2025. The rain that plagued last year’s version held off Sunday and was replaced by a breezeless heat that prompted an “It’s hot!” from Gardner-Johnson upon his arrival.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThere was work to be had nonetheless, which campers completed with a mix of determination, grimacing and sweat on their faces as Gardner-Johnson made the rounds to each station.Learning from a guy that started for the Philadelphia Eagles in their 40-22 thumping of the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59 in 2025, and the trainers and physical therapists that helped him make it possible, seemed like a fair tradeoff.Buffalo Bills safety and Super Bowl champion CJ Gardner-Johnson holds a pad during a drill at his youth football camp in New Smyrna Beach on July 12, 2026, at New Smyrna Beach Sports Complex.The camp-provided burgers, hot dogs and Gatorade afterward also didn’t hurt. Gardner-Johnson didn’t skip out on personal mementos either, as he stayed behind to take dozens of pictures with campers and sign various articles of football gear.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMost importantly, he shared the advice about the industry where he’s found success during huddles and to those that battled the heat to ask him questions later on.“I come from New Orleans, very small-knit, community based,” said James Banks, a camp coach and professional performance trainer that first met Gardner-Johnson when he was with the New Orleans Saints from 2019-2021. “But even then, we don’t really have a whole lot of guys doing what he’s doing o