The Houston Texans need secondary help and will host a former first-round draft pick on Thursday.
Former 2020 No. 9 pick C.J. Henderson will visit the Texans, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Henderson spent the past two-and-a-half years with the Carolina Panthers after he was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Panthers free-agent CB CJ Henderson is visiting today with the Texans.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 21, 2024
Henderson, 25, started 17 games over the past two seasons for the Panthers after the Jaguars traded him and a 2022 fifth-rounder for tight end Dan Darnold and a 2022 third-round pick. He started five of 10 games in 2021.
The former Florida cornerback didn’t tally an interception in 2023 but did have two in 2022 and defended six passes. He has just three career interceptions and 16 defended passes in 49 games.
At 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, Henderson fits the mold of a big-bodied outside cornerback in DeMeco Ryan’s defense. Derek Stingley Jr. is 6-feet and 190 pounds, while free-agent pick-up (and fellow former first-round cornerback) Jeff Okudah is 6-foot-1 and 202 pounds.
It’s unclear if Henderson would be brought in to compete as a possible starter or remain a backup cornerback for the defense. Henderson started seven of eight games to start the 2023 season but never returned to his starting role after missing some games with a concussion.
The Texans need to find a second starting outside cornerback to pair with Stingley. Steven Nelson, Houston’s starter from 2023, remains a free agent. Okudah could be in line to take his place, the Texans could sign another or draft someone in April.