Steelers Sign Rival’s Former Top 10 Draft Pick to Practice Squad

The Pittsburgh Steelers are adding more quality depth to their practice squad. The team announced on September 25 that they have signed cornerback CJ Henderson.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported the addition at the same time as the Steelers announced the signing.

“The Steelers signed former first-round pick CB C.J. Henderson to the practice squad,” wrote Pelissero.

Pittsburgh’s old AFC Central rival, the Jacksonville Jaguars, drafted Henderson at No. 9 overall in the 2020 NFL draft. He played 10 games for the Jaguars before Jacksonville traded him to the Carolina Panthers.

Henderson played 39 games, starting 22 of them, for the Panthers from 2021-23. He spent 2024 training camp with the Houston Texans, but the Texans released him on roster cutdown day.

In 49 NFL games, Henderson has posted 172 combined tackles, including 6 tackles for loss, 16 pass defenses and 3 interceptions.

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Steelers Add CB Depth With CJ Henderson on Practice Squad

Although Henderson became one of the biggest busts of the 2020 draft class, his addition to the Steelers practice squad is still likely to raise eyebrows. The Steelers managed to add a formerly highly-coveted cornerback to their organization for no cost.

Ahead of the 2020 draft, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein compared Henderson to former second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl cornerback Carlos Rodgers.

“Silky smooth boundary cornerback with mirror-and-match footwork and the agility and athleticism to stay connected to routes. He has NFL recovery burst and the long speed to track vertical routes downfield,” wrote Zierlein. “He has the twitchy acceleration to jump a throw and take it away if the quarterback lingers on the target, and he’s quick to wrap and finish after the catch. He makes mental mistakes from time to time and occasionally loses awareness from zone.

“He’s willing and capable in run support but needs better control as an open-field tackler. Henderson is a fluid cornerback with ball skills and burst and has CB1 ability as a first-rounder.”

Henderson started his professional career strongly with an interception and 3 pass defenses in his NFL debut. But that was, by far, his best performance as a rookie. After eight games, he ended the season on injured reserve with a groin issue.

That offseason, Jacksonville changed general managers and head coaches. After just three games in his second season, the Jaguars traded Henderson with a 2022 fifth-round pick to the Panthers for tight end Dan Arnold and a 2022 third-rounder.

Henderson started at least half of his games each season with the Panthers. But he never came close to reaching his pre-draft potential.

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How CJ Henderson Fits With the Steelers

Henderson will join Anthony Averett, Thomas Graham Jr., D’Shawn Jamison and Ayo Oyelola as defensive backs on Pittsburgh’s practice squad. The Steelers have Henderson and Averett listed specifically as cornerbacks.

The Steelers needed to add depth in their secondary after placing second-year cornerback Cory Trice Jr. on injured reserve. He suffered a hamstring injury in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Even without Trice for at least the next four games, the Steelers still have five cornerbacks on their active roster. But Henderson is a potential practice squad elevation candidate for game days at least until the team gets back suspended cornerback Cameron Sutton in Week 9.

The Steelers signed veteran cornerback James Pierre to their practice squad last week. The team elevated him for Week 3 and then signed him to the active roster on September 23.

But unlike Pierre, Henderson isn’t versatile, which is usually a trait the Steelers prefer with their practice squad elevations. Henderson played just 55 special teams snaps last season, and he’s primarily been an outside cornerback in his NFL career.

In fact, according to Pro Football Focus, Henderson didn’t play in the slot at all in 2023.

But if the Steelers do elevate Henderson in Week 4 or any future week, they could use Pierre in multiple positions and have Henderson as insurance at outside cornerback.

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