Jaguar Report

Jaguars Place Rookie Corner Henderson On IR

The Jacksonville Jaguars have placed rookie corner CJ Henderson on Injured Reserve as of Thursday. He will miss a minimum of three weeks with a groin injury.

Kassidy Hill

The Jacksonville Jaguars have placed rookie corner CJ Henderson on Injured Reserve, the club announced on Thursday. Henderson has been sidelined with a groin injury. He was limited in practice on Wednesday and did not practice at all on Thursday.

Henderson was the franchise’s first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, taken in the first round at No. 9 overall. He has 36 total tackles on the season, with an interception (nabbed off Philip Rivers in the season opener versus the Indianapolis Colts) and a forced fumble versus the Green Bay Packers this past weekend.

The rookie was forced to miss the Week 5 loss versus the Houston Texans with a shoulder injury. Otherwise he’s started each game for the Jaguars (1-8) as a rookie.

“You know, I think he’s getting better and better,” said Defensive Coordinator last week of Henderson’s play thus far this season.

“So, he’s getting his hands on some balls. I think he’s getting better, I think [cornerback coach] Tim [Walton] is doing a really nice job each week getting those guys prepared to play. And he’s only going to get better as he keeps growing within game time.”

Added Head Coach Doug Marrone this week, “I think CJ [Henderson] has shown, it’s like anything else when you’re young, you’re going to want more. It’s just up and down but he’s going to continue to keep going. With greater consistency, I think there’ll much greater accolades ahead for him and he has the ability to do it, so that’s not an issue.”

The Jaguars have gotten unexpectedly good play opposite Henderson from signed corner Sidney Jones IV this season, after moving Tre Herndon inside to nickel in place of the injured DJ Hayden. Rookie Chris Claybrooks has filled in as a rotational corner and would most likely start in place of Henderson on Sunday.

However corner DJ Hayden has been designated for return as well. Head Coach Doug Marrone revealed Thursday during his weekly radio show that Hayden is expected to play Sunday versus the Steelers. If that's the case, he will assumedly resume his position at nickel and Herndon could slide back outside opposite Sidney Jones. 

The Jaguars face the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, a team that boasts JuJu Smith-Schuster and Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson. All three receivers are in the Top 50 in reception yards league-wide. As a team, the Steelers are averaging 252.9 receiving yards per game and have scored 22 times through the air through nine games.

With new rules in place for the 2020 season to combat lower roster numbers during COVID-19, CJ Henderson will be eligible to return for the Jaguars in as early as three weeks. 

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Kassidy Hill
KASSIDY HILL

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