After spending the season on the practice squad, Sunday marked C.J. Henderson’s first NFL action since the end of the 2023 season, and he came through in a big moment for the Atlanta Falcons. The 26-19 win over the Cardinals was capped off by a game-sealing interception courtesy of Henderson.
And the craziest part is he was activated off the practice squad just a day before. He only played because Mike Hughes has a sprained ankle and Cobee Bryant was struggling, yet he still managed to turn in one of the better performances within the Atlanta secondary in his second game of the year.
The 2020 first-round pick had a bright future on his hands until injuries took its toll, but might be in the midst of a career revival with the Dirty Birds. And given how thin the Falcons’ secondary has been recently, Henderson’s emergence couldn’t have possibly come at a better opportunity for all parties.
Former NFL Draft bust C.J. Henderson is reviving his career in Atlanta
The Florida product was a three-time All-SEC cornerback in Gainesville, but struggled to recapture that success in the pros. He lasted just 10 days in Jacksonville before being traded to Carolina midway through 2021, but got injured shortly following his career year with the Panthers in 2022.
He dealt with injuries throughout the 2023 season and missed all of 2024 due to a neck injury, but he was never even activated from Pittsburgh’s practice squad. But now in just one game with the Falcons, he showed enough that he will certainly have plenty of suitors in free agency this offseason.
According to Pro Football Focus, his 81.2 PFF grade ranked 11th among all cornerbacks, which is impressive given this was just his second game since January of 2024. And Henderson’s 81.9 coverage grade was tied for 10th among all cornerbacks in Week 16, which is a very impressive feat.
A.J. Terrell has not been himself this season and injuries have hampered the Falcons’ secondary depth, but Henderson has provided some stability. He replaced Bryant after the undrafted rookie got benched early on, and surrendered just one reception for 14 yards on two targets.
It remains to be seen whether the 27-year-old is a long-term mainstay in Atlanta given Hughes and Billy Bowman Jr. are starters when healthy, but that doesn’t change the reality: Henderson’s career was on life support, and just a few games in Jeff Ulbrich’s defense just jolted his career back to life.