One former Washington Commanders draft pick is getting a chance to restart his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“The Steelers are signing DE KJ Henry to the practice squad after his workout yesterday,” NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo wrote on his official X account on Tuesday morning. “Henry was impressing with the 49ers in camp before an injury cut his summer short.”
“The Steelers are signing OLB KJ Henry to the practice squad after his workout yesterday,” Steelers Depot 7 wrote on its official X account.
“The Steelers have signed KJ Henry to their practice squad, marking his third stint with the team since last October,” Steelers reporter Jack Markowski wrote on X.
KJ Henry Drafted by Commanders in 2023
Henry, 6-foot-4 and 255 pounds, was a 5th-round pick out of Clemson by the Washington Commanders in the 2023 NFL Draft and is on his 7th team in 4 seasons, including a Super Bowl win with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024.
Henry’s only career starts, so far, came during his rookie year with the Commanders when he played a career high 10 games with 3 starts. Through 3 seasons, Henry has 22 tackles, 2.5 sacks and 5 TFL.
Henry has also spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns (twice), and 49ers.
KJ Henry Won CFP Championship & Super Bowl
Henry earned his name on championship rings in both college and the NFL without doing much on the field for either.
At Clemson, he only played in 4 games as a freshman in 2018, as the Tigers won the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Henry capped his college career by earning All-ACC honors at Clemson in 2022 with 59 tackles, 9 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 24 QB pressures, 6 pass deflections, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
“Highly athletic edge defender with good size,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation in 2023. “Henry has upfield burst, but he tends to be a face-up rusher and will need to improve his hand usage for more effective corner turns. He can be dynamic when twisting and blitzing as a moveable piece around the defensive front and he does a nice job of setting up a buttery smooth inside rush that is often too quick for tackles. He can dart and disrupt as a one-gapper with his hand in the ground but has more trouble than expected in setting firm edges as a run defender. Henry’s strengths and weaknesses are well-defined, with the upside to become a starter.”
Former Washington Commanders Draft Pick Signs With Steelers