Category: C.J. Henderson

Jags CB C.J. Henderson returns to practice, several veterans get maintenance day

The Jags got their first pick of the 2020 draft back from Monday’s practice but had several veterans work inside for a maintenance day.

Before the Jacksonville Jaguars took the field for yet another practice, it was announced that first-round pick C.J. Henderson would be returning after missing a few practices with an illness (not related to COVID-19).

The team also announced that both defensive tackle Taven Bryan and receiver Dede Westbrook would once again sit out practice with a bruised knee and bruised shoulder, respectively. It doesn’t sound as though either could be back within the next few days, either, as both were ruled week-to-week cases.

Henderson’s return is big for the Jags’ secondary because they’ve had to rely on a lot of younger rookies who aren’t as polished as him during the time he missed. Then again, some of his fellow rookies flourished when given the opportunity like Luq Barcoo and Chris Claybrooks.

As for Bryan and Westbrook, the team seems to be simply playing it safe with both to make sure they make it into the regular season healthy. Westbrook has sat out with his injury dating back to Saturday, while Bryan suffered his injury in Saturday’s scrimmage.

The Jags also announced that they would be having another maintenance day to help keep the roster fresh and several veterans would be allowed to work inside. Those players are as follows:

 

Takeaways from Day 3 of Jags training camp: Gardner Minshew, WRs impress

The Jacksonville Jaguars took the field for what is being considered Day 3 of training camp Friday and it was an eventful one. The team finally moved into some offense vs. defense drills through 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. Here are some takeaways …

The Jacksonville Jaguars took the field for what is being considered Day 3 of training camp Friday and it was an eventful one. The team finally moved into some offense vs. defense drills through 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills.

Here are some takeaways those who were able to attend the session came away with as the Jags inched closer to padded practices:

Gardner Minshew and his receivers start on a high note

First and foremost, it was a great day for Gardner Minshew II and his receivers. He particularly had a good day connecting with D.J. Chark and Laviska Shenault Jr. However, Minshew’s pass of the day went to Dede Westbrook, who split linebacker Joe Schobert and safety Jarrod Wilson with a post route.

On the very next play, Minshew hit Chark with a bomb down the sidelines.

CJ Henderson flashed why he was a top-10 pick

Sure, it’s early in the process and the offense and defense have only seen reps against each other once in training camp, but CJ Henderson looked to be on a mission. The former Gators cornerback who was the No. 9 overall pick from April’s draft was sticky in coverage and fluid in terms of movement, catching the attention of all media members in attendance.

After losing shutdown corner Jalen Ramsey and a solid veteran in A.J. Bouye, the Jags are going to need Henderson to hold his own coming out of the gate in the regular season. So far, all of the traits he was praised for on film are showing up and it will be interesting to see if his performance from Friday translates to when the pads go on Monday.

Other notes and tidbits

  • With running back Ryquell Armstead still on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, it’s opened up the opportunity for others to step up behind Leonard Fournette and Chris Thompson. First Coast News’ Mia O’Brien singled out Devine Ozigbo and undrafted rookie James Robinson for showcasing their speed and agility. Robinson specifically is a player we’ve banged the table for at Jags Wire as he was a prospect who had a draftable grade on him back in May.
  • Before practice, defensive coordinator Todd Wash met with the media. Among the notable players, he discussed were rookie defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton, Josh Allen, the linebacking corps as a whole, and more.

  • After practice, both Shenault and Wilson met with the media to discuss training camp so far. Wilson also discussed the severity of COVID-19 and shared an important message about wearing a mask.

 

Podcast: Jags Wire chats with NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah

The Jags will need a lot of help from their 2020 draft class. To discuss the group, Jags Wire sat down with draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah.

If the Jacksonville Jaguars are to have a successful 2020 season, they are going to need a lot of help from their rookie class. While that may seem like a difficult feat to achieve, it’s worth noting the team had arguably 2019’s best class in terms of contributions with players like Gardner Minshew II, Jawaan Taylor, and Josh Allen aiding the team to six wins.

To discuss the potential of the Jags’ most recent class from April, we spoke to someone who covered it live on ESPN for NFL Network in draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah. The former scout of the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, and Philadelphia Eagles joined us for our latest episode of the “Bleav in the Jags Podcast” and had plenty of takes the fans will definitely like.

Some of the specific topics we discussed outside of the Jags 12-man draft class was Jeremiah’s pick for the Jags’ top undrafted addition, his thoughts on how COVID-19 will affect college football, Gardner Minshew, being a general manager one day, and more.

After our conversation with Jeremiah, Jags Wire contributor Phil Smith and I continued to discuss Jimmy Smith’s recent resurgence on Twitter and the Jags’ value, according to Forbes.

Feel free to listen to the archived episodes of “Bleav in the Jags,”too, and subscribe via Apple podcasts, Google Play, or Spotify.

[protected-iframe id=”87554dc7814cf3fb80425035780e34ad-105974738-159322853″ info=”https://art19.com/shows/bleav-in-the-jacksonville-jaguars/episodes/4e527196-b208-4481-a213-1b18c0fde6e0/embed” scrolling=”no”]

Chad Johnson continues to endorse C.J. Henderson

After the Jags locked up CB C.J. Henderson to his rookie deal, NFL great Chad Johnson had some high praise for the youngster who he’s met.

Many within the football community were high on Jacksonville Jaguars first-round pick C.J. Henderson, who earned All-SEC honors in 2019 after shutting down some elite competition in the Southeastern Conference. NFL great Chad Johnson is among that bunch as he’s seen the young corner’s skill-set in person.

After the Jags officially locked Henderson up to his rookie deal Thursday, Johnson sent high praise towards the former Florida Gator, stating that Henderson will be a special player on Twitter.

As many are aware, Johnson, who is a Miami native like Henderson, challenged the young corner (as well as Jeff Okudah) for some 1-on-1 drills after they were drafted in April. Long story short, the two eventually ended up linking up in South Florida for a workout session where Johnson came away very impressed with Henderson’s ability in bump-and-run coverage.

During the 2020 draft process, Henderson was thought to be the second-best corner prospect, only under Okudah. Despite that, many liked his athleticism more than Okudah’s, and with the Jags having a need at cornerback, they pranced right on the opportunity to land him.

While with the Florida Gators, Henderson was able to garner 93 career tackles and six interceptions. After being selected by the Jags, he’ll be expected to start immediately as the team lost cornerback A.J. Bouye and Jalen Ramsey via trade this offseason and in October of 2019, respectively.

Jaguars sign 2020 first-round pick C.J. Henderson

The Jags have signed their first selection of the 2020 NFL Draft, C.J. Henderson, to an all guaranteed contract.

The Jacksonville Jaguars finally have signed one of their first-round selections, inking a four-year deal with No. 9 overall selection C.J. Henderson. According to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, the deal is a full guaranteed contract worth $20.5 million with a fifth-year option and no offsets.

The Miami native was impressive throughout his time at the University of Florida, earning first-team All-SEC honors in 2019. He was able to accumulate 33 tackles and 11 pass breakups in the process while facing top-notch South Eastern Conference receivers like Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs, and Ja’Marr Chase.

As the No. 9 overall pick during the 2020 NFL Draft, Henderson was the second cornerback drafted in 2020 while Jeff Okudah of the Detroit Lions was the first. With his signing, the University of Florida alum continues the Jaguars’ tradition of taking in Florida Gators. 

He joins the team at a critical time, looking to fill the void left behind after the Jags traded A. J. Bouye this offseason and Jalen Ramsey last October. Henderson will join notables D.J. Hayden and possibly Tre Herndon as the team’s top-3 corners. 

Jags’ C.J. Henderson, Lions’ Jeff Okudah land same “Madden NFL 20” rating

Despite Jeff Okudah craving the top-5 picks, he and C.J. Henderson will share the same “Madden NFL 20” ratings as rookies.

In just a few weeks, “Madden NFL 20” will be hitting the shelves and NFL fans alike will get to see their favorite players in Electronic Arts updated edition of the renowned series. And while the Jacksonville Jaguars’ full roster ratings haven’t been revealed, we found out the ratings of rookies Laviska Shenault Jr., Collin Johnson, and Jake Luton last week.

We can now officially add the Jags first selection of April’s draft to the mix, too, as it was revealed that both cornerbacks C.J. Henderson and Jeff Okudah were tied for the highest grades of any rookies at their position with a 76.

This is a little surprising as many expected Okudah to be rated a point or two higher than Henderson. However, it does indicate that Electronic Arts view them equally, though we don’t know their attribute ratings.

Heading into the draft, many pundits viewed Okudah as an elite prospect, however, some viewed Henderson as the better athlete. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah was amongst them, as he explained why to Jags Wire and the media back before April before the draft.

“Well, I think there’s a real possibility,” Jeremiah said. “He ended up as my 21st player, but he’s my second corner, and you’re talking about a premier position that everybody is trying to fill at the corner position. That’s not a terrible reach if he were to be the ninth pick, and he’s got all the athletic ability in the world. He tested unbelievably well. He’s fluid and smooth.

My issues with him, why I see the difference between him and Okudah. He’s a better athlete than Okudah, but Okudah is a better football player. Okudah is tougher, Okudah tackles better. He finds and plays the football a little bit better.”

As for how Henderson and Okudah felt about their ratings, lets just say they didn’t seem all that impressed.

For those wanting a copy of the game, it will be out on August 2, though preorders are currently being taken by your local electronics stores.

Listen: Discussions on Jags’ record predictions, Minshew, Fournette, defensive additions

Jags Wire’s James Johnson joins Fox Sports 1150 AM’s “Afternoon Drive” to talk Jags and more.

There were a lot of questions surrounding the Jacksonville Jaguars heading into the 2020 offseason and fans will soon start to get some answers with the team set to return to camp on July, 28. The biggest ones concerned whether Gardner Minshew II would be given the nod to start, pin pointing the amount of wins the team could acquire, Leonard Fournette’s future, and the defense getting overhauled.

These were some of the topics discussed with Phil Jones of Fox Sports 1150 AM Valdosta as Jags Wire joined “The Afternoon Drive” to update the people of South Georgia on Cardiac Cats. The conversation was a pretty in-depth one that lasted over 12 minutes as we went deep into how Minshew became the Jags QB1, why the Jags could exceed expectations, and much more.

Jaguars draft class ranked sixth in NFL, third in AFC

Once again, the Jags have earned high marks on their draft class of 2020 headlined by SEC standouts C.J. Henderson and K’Lavon Chaisson.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are going to need significant contributions from their 2020 NFL Draft class if they are to improve their record. After utilizing all 12 of their draft picks, they certainly got the heavy-hitters to get it done.

Many gave the Jags good grades for their class back in April and fans now can add Rotoworld to the list. In a recent look at each team’s 2020 hauls, analyst Thor Nystrom slotted them with the sixth-best class in the league and the third-best in the AFC.

Just a well-rounded process for the Jaguars overall. Jacksonville finished No. 6 in both Draft Score and in the UDFA class rankings and naturally checked in No. 6 in the NFL (and No. 3 in the AFC) in the overall Draft Haul rankings. I was higher on Jacksonville’s draft than the media at large, which ranked the Jags No. 11 in GPA. CB C.J. Henderson and EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson were no-doubt picks at positions of need. WR Laviska Shenault was grand theft in the second-round, while OT Ben Bartch and CB Josiah Scott were both big-time fourth-round values.

The Jags have already come out to say they expect both C.J. Henderson and K’Lavon Chaisson to make an immediate impact Week 1.

Henderson will undoubtedly start after the Jags lost Jalen Ramsey in the 2019 season and A.J. Bouye this March. Chaisson, on the other hand, should see significant snaps, too, though Yannick Ngakoue’s status could impact his play-time.

Nystrom calling Laviska Shenault Jr. a steal isn’t shocking either. The Jags somewhat referred to him in the same light, stating that he basically would’ve gone much higher in 2019’s draft. He unfortunately had some injuries that hindered his 2020 stock, but the front office was still happy to land him nonetheless.

As for Ben Bartch and Josiah Scott, both could end up being the Jags’ starting right guard and nickelback in 2021 with A.J. Cann not meeting expectations and D.J. Hayden on the last year of his contract. Another player who was drafted in the fourth round that Nystrom didn’t mention was linebacker Shaq Quarterman, who has great developmental tools, too.

When looking at the contributions the Jags got from their 2019 class between Gardner Minshew, Josh Allen, and Jawaan Taylor, Nystrom isn’t wrong to be high on their newest class. Ultimately, if 2020’s class can live up to the high praise they’ve received, Dave Caldwell and Doug Marrone should be able to keep their jobs heading into next year.

Todd Wash on C.J. Henderson, K’Lavon Chaisson: We anticipate them being impactful Week 1

After a rough defensive season last year, Todd Wash is looking for first rounders K’Lavon Chaisson and C.J. Henderson to make early impacts.

Not only did the Jacksonville Jaguars use most of their 12 draft picks on defense this April, but they also used both of their first round selections on defensive players. Of course, those players were Florida cornerback C.J. Henderson and Louisiana State pass-rusher K’Lavon Chaisson.

With the team having a tremendous amount of turnover on defense, the staff and team will need big contributions out of both in 2020. That’s especially the case for defensive coordinator Todd Wash, who is coming off a season where the Jags’ defense was ranked 24th in yards allowed per game with an average of 375.4.

“We want both of them to be plugged in in the first game and playing the majority of the reps,” Wash told the media last week. “Obviously, this is a unique offseason that we had. We know they have the physical skill to play at this level with both of them being drafted in the first round. We anticipate both of them to be solid, impact players for us Week 1. We’re going to figure lot more of that once we get on grass in training camp, but both of them physically have the abilities to be impact players early in their career.”

Wash is right, the Jags will need both rookies to be key contributors in 2020, much like their first picks of 2019 were in Josh Allen and Jawaan Taylor. Essentially, Henderson will be taking the place of traded cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey or A.J. Bouye, while Chaisson could be replacing the presence of disgruntled pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue. However, there could be some growing pains when considering the NFL is going through an irregular offseason that eliminated organized team activities and minicamp.

Additionally, there may not be a preseason period for the Jags, and if it is, it could be shortened. Simply put, this means both rookies will be getting a crash learning course.

The good thing is the Jags’ schedule isn’t as strong during the first half as it is in the second half, with games against teams like the Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, and Cincinnati Bengals scheduled early. That should help ease Henderson and Chaisson into things before the going gets significantly tougher during the second half.

PFF projects Jags to start 4 rookies in 2020

PFF believes four of the Jags’ top-5 draft picks will be starters for the team once the season begins and, of course, C.J. Henderson is one.

The Jacksonville Jaguars surprisingly used all 12 of their draft picks this April, which means the team will be one of the youngest in the NFL. They also could end up starting a lot of the rookies they drafted after parting ways with veterans A.J. Bouye, Calais Campbell, and Marcell Dareus.

The good folks at Pro Football Focus recently took a crack at projecting the lineups of all 32 teams, and unsurprisingly, the Jags almost had a handful of rookies in their lineup. That included one rookie on offense in fourth-round pick Ben Bartch and three rookies on defense in pass-rusher K’Lavon Chaisson, cornerback C.J. Henderson, and defensive tackle Davon Hamilton.

Offense

QB: Gardner Minshew
RB: Leonard Fournette
WR: DJ Chark
WR: Chris Conley
Slot: Dede Westbrook
TE: Tyler Eifert
LT: Cam Robinson
LG: Andrew Norwell
C: Brandon Linder
RG: Ben Bartch
RT: Jawaan Taylor

Defense

DI: Taven Bryan
DI: Davon Hamilton
EDGE: Josh Allen
EDGE: K’Lavon Chaisson
LB: Myles Jack
LB: Joe Schobert
CB: CJ Henderson
CB: Rashaan Melvin
CB: D.J. Hayden
S: Jarrod Wilson
S: Ronnie Harrison

Starting with the offense, it’s not shocking to see PFF slot Bartch in at the right guard position because they haven’t given veteran A.J. Cann overly impressive grades in the past. He’s only graded over 70 once in his career, and this past year, Cann was given a career-low of 55.3.

The issue with slotting Bartch as a starter is the fact that many in the Jags’ front office referred to him as a project player when he was selected. When adding in the fact that the team likely won’t have a minicamp and possibly won’t return until training camp, the rookies may be a little behind the curve. That being said, fans should probably expect Cann to start in 2020.

It’s a given that the Jags first selection of April’s draft in Henderson would be slotted in as a starter. The team lost both of their 2019 starters at the cornerback position, trading with Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye, so Henderson was arguably the biggest acquisition of the offseason with linebacker Joe Schobert.

With the Jags saying they will move to more 3-4 looks on base downs, Chaisson could get a starting role alongside Josh Allen as the team’s go-to pass rushing duo. However, if Yannick Ngakoue decides he wants to play on the franchise tag, that could complicate the snap count for Chaisson. Still, the Jags took him with the No. 20 overall pick, which is an indicator that they have plans for him to see the field a lot.

Lastly, Hamilton is a player who I listed as someone who could be the Jags’ biggest surprise of 2020 in a recent episode of “Bleav in the Jags.” Like most rookies, he’ll have to go through a veteran in Al Woods though, who will be entering his 11th season. While it could be a difficult task, it’s hard not to like Hamilton’s chances because Woods is the oldest player on the roster at 33 years of age.