It’s hard to name a player on the defensive side of the ball in Jacksonville who has had a more monumental preseason than C.J. Henderson. At the beginning of the preseason, trade rumors were surrounding a player who no one had seen take the field in nearly a calendar year.
Henderson quickly silenced any talk of a trade, however. He was dominant in the preseason and appears to be far and away the best defensive back on the roster. He certainly showed some signs of that during his shortened rookie season, but he seems to have taken a major step forward this offseason.
With his spot on the Jaguars now cemented, Henderson enters the regular season as the team’s likely No. 1 corner. And that’s a role he has earned.
According to Pro Football Focus, Henderson was the third-highest graded NFL player in single coverage during the preseason, behind only Denver rookie Patrick Surtain II and Tampa Bay’s Herb Miller III. Henderson graded at 92.3, just below Miller at 92.4.
Highest coverage grades in single coverage this preseason:
🔒 Patrick Surtain II, Broncos – 93.4
🔒 Herb Miller III, Buccaneers – 92.4
🔒 C.J. Henderson, Jaguars – 92.3 pic.twitter.com/vofoBDtvmi— PFF (@PFF) September 2, 2021
The stat-sheet doesn’t show it, as Henderson only totaled one pass breakup during the preseason, but his impact went beyond that and he did not allow much from the opposing passing game. Jacksonville’s secondary has a lot to prove after it was one of the most porous units in football last season, but Henderson should be a leader of a group that is expected to improve with potentially an entirely new starting group around him.