The Houston Texans are adding a recent former top-10 draft pick to their defense.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Houston Texans are signing former Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback C.J. Henderson. The 25-year-old was the ninth overall pick of the Jaguars back in 2020.
Carolina acquired Henderson in a 2021 trade with the Jaguars, who surprisingly gave up on the Florida product after just 10 games in Duval County. The Panthers declined the fifth-year option on Henderson’s contract last year, making him eligible to enter free agency after the seaason.
And so, Henderson will join a Houston Texans team that has been among the busiest in the young NFL offseason. GM Nick Caserio has also traded for ex-Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon while picking up four-time Pro Bowl pass-rusher Danielle Hunter and ex-Tennessee Titans standouts Denico Autry and Azeez Al-Shaair in free agency.
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Henderson has appeared in 49 NFL games, making starts in 32 of them. For his career, Henderson has three interceptions, 16 pass breakups, two forced fumbles, one sack and 172 combined tackles.
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Henderson has struggled tremendously in man coverage, having graded at 57.9 or lower in each of his first four years at Pro Football Focus. On top of that, he has allowed an opposing passer rating of over 100 each year, per Pro Football Reference.
The Houston Texans Can Revive C.J. Henderson’s Career
In Henderson’s defense, he was stuck on mostly non-competitive Jacksonville and Carolina during his first four NFL seasons. Fortunately, he lands with a Houston Texans team that just might manage to fully unlock his potential.
Head coach DeMeco Ryans quickly turned the Texans’ defense into football’s best last season. He helped Derek Stingley Jr. (the No. 3 pick of 2022) emerge as a star after a tough rookie year, and 2023 third overall pick Will Anderson Jr. also produced immediately under Ryans’ leadership.
Playing on a defense with Stingley, Anderson Jr., Hunter and Jalen Pitre just might help Henderson break out after a tough four-year run to begin his career.
