C.J. Henderson has earned a promotion to Pittsburgh’s 53-man roster. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Steelers have signed the practice-squad cornerback to the active roster.
The former first-round pick joined the Steelers practice squad in late September. While Monday’s move comes after Steelers cornerback Donte Jackson aggravated his shoulder injury on Sunday night, Rapoport notes that Henderson was also drawing interest from other cornerback-needy squads. By adding Henderson to the active roster, the Steelers now control the player’s fate this season.
The ninth overall pick in the 2020 draft, Henderson showed flashes as a rookie with the Jaguars, hauling in an interception to go along with 36 tackles. He ended his rookie campaign on IR with a shoulder injury and he only got into two games with Jacksonville in 2021 before getting dealt to Carolina. He ultimately spent two-plus seasons with the Panthers, finding himself in and out of the starting lineup. Pro Football Focus was never especially fond of Henderson’s performance with the site often giving him one of the worst positional grades in pass coverage.
After hitting free agency this past offseason, Henderson quickly caught on with the Texans. He was among the team’s final cuts and it took him about a month before he got an offer from the Steelers.
Joey Porter Jr. and Jackson have soaked up the majority of Pittsburgh’s snaps at CB this season, although the latter has been limited in each of the past two weeks while dealing with his shoulder injury. With Beanie Bishop Jr. penciled in as the nickelback, James Pierre has been tasked with filling in during Week 6 and Week 7. The former UDFA got a season-high 35 snaps on Sunday. With only those four aforementioned CBs on the active roster, Henderson could be in line for a role if Jackson is forced to miss any time.
