New Carolina Panthers cornerback C.J. Henderson has yet to experience real NFL success. Not only were the Jacksonville Jaguars a combined 1-18 while he was there, but the 2020 ninth overall pick never really stuck on—as a fit nor through his play.
Regardless, he has no hard feelings about his short stay with the franchise. Henderson, in his first presser for the Carolina media, told reporters on Wednesday that he still got quite a bit from his year and a half in Jacksonville.
“It had its ups and downs,” Henderson said when asked if he has any regrets coming away from the Jaguars. “I learned a lot, as a player and a person. There’s nothing I regret. I feel like everything in life happens for a reason.”
The reasoning behind this move, at least for the Panthers, was that general manager Scott Fitterer and head coach Matt Rhule jumped at an opportunity they couldn’t resist. In addition to potentially filling a considerable void left behind by rookie Jaycee Horn, Henderson was an appealing prospect to the team going back to last year’s pre-draft process.
And that makes sense considering how welcomed and excited Henderson feels for this new beginning.
“I’ve been liking it,” Henderson said of his first impressions in Carolina. “My experience has been good. Very player-oriented here. I really like it so far.”
“I feel like it’s a fresh, new start for me,” he continued. “Just start over and gets things on track. Just to get things rolling again.”
The rolling starts this Sunday, for Henderson and the team, against the 2-1 Dallas Cowboys.
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