The Pittsburgh Steelers signed CB C.J. Henderson to the practice squad on Wednesday. The Steelers placed CB Cory Trice Jr. on injured reserve, so they needed more depth at the position. He was the ninth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. So who is the newest addition to the Steelers’ practice squad?
First Freshman At Florida To Have Pick-6s In Consecutive Games
Henderson stepped onto the campus at the University of Florida with a lot of expectations. He was a four-star recruit from Miami who signed with the Gators after initially committing (and then de-committing) from the University of Miami. And as a true freshman, Henderson gave Gators fans some big plays. He started 5 games and had 4 interceptions. He returned two of those interceptions for touchdowns in back-to-back games. No true freshman had done that at Florida before. And according to Florida, no Gators player had done that period per records dating back to 1965.
Declared Early For The Draft But Never Stopped Learning
Henderson decided not to complete his college career at Florida. He instead declared for the 2020 NFL Draft after his junior season and did not even play in the Gators’ Orange Bowl victory over the University of Virginia. He finished with 66 total tackles, 8 tackles for a loss, 4 sacks, 6 interceptions (2 returned for touchdowns,) 22 passes knocked down, and 2 forced fumbles.
But declaring for the draft was not the end of Henderson’s college education. He still kept taking classes and finished his education sciences degree in 2021 to officially graduate from the University of Florida.
“I just wanted to get it out of the way rather than wait until later and come back and do it,” Henderson said as to why he opted for the difficult route of taking classes during the draft process and even during his rookie season.
“I can’t remember a kid that has done that in the past since I’ve been here…” said assistant director of academic services at the University Athletic Association Tony Meacham. “To his credit, he was willing to put in the work besides the work he was putting in on the field. You think someone in his position would be glued to football, but he was doing both. It was very impressive for someone to do that in his position.”
Instant Impact In First NFL Game
Henderson played in his first career NFL game in the Jaguars’ season-opening game against the Indianapolis Colts. He had five tackles, but he flashed the ball skills that made him so well-known at Florida. He picked off Colts QB Philip Rivers to start his NFL career.
Since then, Henderson has only had 2 interceptions, both in 2022 with the Carolina Panthers.
Teammates Again With Donte Jackson
The Steelers reunite Henderson with Jackson who were teammates (and in the same position room) in Carolina. The Panthers traded for Henderson during the 2021 NFL season, and he appeared in 39 games over two and a partial seasons. He had 2 interceptions, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, 128 total tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, and a sack.
Heading into the 2023 NFL season, Jackson spoke with Darin Gantt about what he saw in Henderson since they became teammates in 2021.
“He’s been great,” said Jackson. “He’s a top-notch competition, top-notch professional. Always in the building ready to work, and yeah, he’s a confident guy, and he plays like it.”
And now the two are back together in Pittsburgh looking to play confidently on the backend of a defense playing lights-out football through three weeks.
Giving Back To His High School
Not only did Henderson spend time in 2021 finishing up his degree at Florida, he spent time giving back to his high school. He graduated from Christopher Columbus High School, and he donated $250,000 to help renovate the athletic facilities, specifically the training center. And that training center bears his family’s name.
“That’s a surreal feeling,” said Henderson. “I’m just excited to get it started, getting the new training room started. Thankful for the opportunity and just blessed and thankful they let me, allow me to do it.”
Henderson not only played football at Christopher Columbus, he ran track as well. And he wasn’t just in the defensive backfield as a cornerbca. He spent plenty of time in the offensive backfield as well. He had 68 carries across his junior and senior seasons for 636 yards (9.4 yards per carry) and 7 rushing touchdowns (10 offensive touchdowns in total). No wonder Henderson had a knack for finding the end zone with interception returns at Florida.
