The Atlanta Falcons have added to their cornerback room, signing former first-round pick C.J. Henderson just weeks before they open the season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Free agent CB CJ Henderson, the former #Jaguars first-rounder, is planning to sign with the #Falcons, source said, pending his medical review.
After Pittsburgh last year and the #Panthers before that, Henderson gets another shot in 2025. He picked ATL over several suitors. pic.twitter.com/uxvLULDSbm
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 14, 2025
Henderson was the 9th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, taken by the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, his time in Jacksonville was short-lived, as he was traded to the Carolina Panthers for a fifth-round pick in the middle of the 2021 season.
Henderson would appear in 39 games with the Panthers from 2021-2023, recording 10 passes defended and a couple of interceptions. He spent last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers but did not appear in a game.
The Falcons have tried a similar route recently with Jeff Okudah, the third overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, and the experiment wasn’t exactly fruitful. C.J. Henderson is an even bigger long shot. Atlanta desperately needs to add another solid starter to their cornerback room, but if Henderson sees a lot of the field for the Falcons, it’s probably not a good sign about how the season has transpired.
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Photographer: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
