After signing veteran cornerback James Pierre to the 53-man roster following the placement of second-year corner Cory Trice Jr. on injured reserve Tuesday, the Steelers filled Pierre’s spot on the practice squad Wednesday.
The Steelers signed former first-round pick in cornerback C.J. Henderson to the practice squad Wednesday, the team announced. Pittsburgh worked out Henderson last week, getting a good look at the 2020 first-rounder.
According to Steelers.com, Henderson will wear No. 33 on the practice squad.
Henderson was a first-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars but didn’t last long there, ultimately being traded to the Carolina Panthers after just a year and a half in Jacksonville. He then spent two-and-a-half seasons with the Panthers.
From 2021-23 with the Panthers, Henderson started 22 games and picked off two passes, both of which came in the 2022 season. Despite the two interceptions, his 2022 season wasn’t very good overall in Carolina.
According to Pro Football Reference, Henderson was charged for five touchdowns against that season. He bounced back in 2023, allowing just one touchdown. However, when opposing quarterbacks targeted him in coverage, he allowed a 73% completion rate.
After three seasons in Carolina, Henderson spent this past training camp with the Houston Texans but failed to make their roster, getting released as part of final roster cutdowns.
In 49 career games (32 starts), Henderson has recorded 172 tackles, six tackles for loss, three interceptions, 16 passes defensed, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one sack. He’s played, 2,036 career snaps, with 1,729 of them coming as an outside cornerback, along with 102 snaps in the slot, 196 snaps in the box, five along the defensive line and four at free safety, according to Pro Football Focus.
Across those 49 games, Henderson has been charged with allowing 134 receptions on 190 targets for 1,680 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Last season in Carolina, Henderson played 407 snaps defensively and graded out at a 45.4 overall from PFF.
In the preseason with Houston this summer, Henderson played just five snaps defensively, all against the Steelers in the preseason opener. He allowed one reception for 15 yards in that matchup, missing one tackle.
With Henderson, the Steelers now have four cornerbacks on their practice squad, including Anthony Averett, D’Shawn Jamison and Thomas Graham Jr.
