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Should the Carolina Panthers play it out with CJ Henderson in 2023 or pass him on to the next spot before the summer is over?
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox thinks they should be of the latter thought, opining that a split with the 24-year-old cornerback may be best for both sides.
The Panthers should see if another cornerback-needy team is willing to take a flier on the former top-10 pick. He doesn’t appear poised to be a long-term building block in Carolina’s secondary and is likely to depart next offseason as a free agent.
While having depth behind Donte Jackson and Jaycee Horn is nice, having an extra pick or player with which to build around rookie quarterback Bryce Young would be even better. There’s almost always a team out there willing to take a chance on a player with a first-round pedigree. Carolina should see what it can get for Henderson while it still has the chance.
Henderson was acquired by the Panthers in a 2021 swap with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who made the University of Florida product the ninth overall pick just a year earlier. Carolina parted ways with tight end Dan Arnold and a 2022 third-round pick for the defender and a 2022 fifth-rounder.
Similarly to his brief time in Jacksonville, Henderson has not been able to stick on in Charlotte—having struggled over much of his 27-game stint for his new squad. His roughest outing, perhaps, came in what was essentially the NFC South title game this past season—when he was a prominent part of the coverage that allowed 207 yards and three touchdowns to Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Mike Evans.
The Panthers declined Henderson’s fifth-year option back on May 1.
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