The 10 Most Important Jaguars For 2020, No. 3: CJ Henderson

The new face of Jacksonville's secondary, CJ Henderson is set to be the next key piece of the team's short- and long-term future.

2020 is a make-or-break year for the current regime leading the Jacksonville Jaguars. While this may sound like a broken record after being overly repeated since the disappointing 2019 season drew to a close, it is the simple truth.

In the last two years, the Jaguars have finished in last place of the AFC South each season while compiling an 11-21 record. In fact, 2019's meager 6-10 record, as bad as it was, was actually one of the better records the Jaguars produced during the 2010s decade. The past has been ugly for the Jaguars and the team will assuredly put as much energy as possible into changing this in 2020.

As the Jaguars attempt to reverse their look and field a winning team in the fall, they will need all 53 members of the active roster and every coach on the staff to step their game up. But among those on the team, there are a select few players who will be especially pivotal to Jacksonville's success.

As we continue to move forward toward the start of the 2020 NFL season (pending one actually taking place), we will take a look at which players we think are especially important next season.

We have already hit the first half of our list, with the following players being ranked No. 5 through No. 10:

No 10: DT Al Woods.

No. 9: RT Jawaan Taylor.

No. 8: ILB Joe Schobert.

No. 7: RB Leonard Fournette.

No. 6: DT Taven Bryan.

No. 5: WR DJ Chark.

No. 4: OT Cam Robinson.

Now we are onto the No. 3 player on this list: cornerback CJ Henderson, the only rookie to make the list. 

Jacksonville's top pick in April's NFL Draft after the Jaguars invested the No. 9 overall pick into Henderson, the second-highest pick Jacksonville has ever invested into a cornerback. The highest-picked cornerback the Jaguars drafted is coincidentally former disgruntled cornerback Jalen Ramsey, the player Henderson will theoretically replace.

With the departures of Ramsey and fellow former starting cornerback A.J. Bouye (via a trade to Denver), the Jaguars entered this offseason missing an identity in the secondary. The most significant investment the Jaguars made toward rebuilding the secondary is of course Henderson, who will now be asked to be one of the faces of the team's defense. 

Why CJ Henderson is important for the Jaguars in 2020

While the Jaguars have played the standard game of refusing to label anybody as a starter at this point in the offseason, it would be foolish to think Henderson isn't going to man one of the team's two outside cornerback spots once Week 1 rolls around. Jacksonville didn't draft Henderson in the top-10 to not have him come in and make an impact right away, and the fact of the matter is they don't have the depth otherwise to afford him not being a major piece of the puzzle.

Other than Henderson, the Jaguars cornerback depth chart consists of Tre Herndon (14 career starts), slot corner D.J. Hayden (40 career starts), Rashaan Melvin (40 career starts), Parry Nickerson (one career start) and Brandon Watson (0 career starts). Herndon impressed in 2019 as he led the team with interceptions and passes defended, while Hayden is among the league's best slot cornerbacks, but overall the group lacks both star power and extensive track records.

That is where Henderson enters. The tall and athletic Henderson was a standout while with the Florida Gators, recording 85 total tackles, 20 pass breakups, six interceptions (two returned for touchdowns), three sacks and two forced fumbles in three seasons. He then turned in a phenomenal performance at the NFL Scouting Combine thanks to a 4.39 40-yard dash, establishing himself as a prospect who could be a team's potential No. 1 cornerback. 

With solid players but no established No. 1 corner alongside Henderson on the depth chart, it only makes sense for Henderson to be Jacksonville's top option in taking away opposing top receiving threats each week. Defensive coordinator Todd Wash trusted Jalen Ramsey to do so as a rookie in 2016, and there is always the chance the Jaguars think enough of Henderson to let him do it in 2020 thanks to his elite physical traits. 

“I really feel like you have someone that you could put on a no. 1 receiver, and the reason why I believe that is because C.J. has speed," head coach Doug Marrone said after the first-round in April. 

"Sometimes these no. 1 receivers may be smaller, fast guys. C.J. is big, also physical in press so you can put him on the bigger, stronger receivers, so I felt that he’s a great fit, a guy that can truly be a no. 1 corner and can take guys out of the game Because sometimes you get these corners that are really big and strong, but they get these fast guys and sometimes they don’t want to press them. C.J. is big and strong and he can run, and he has a ton of range and he has a ton of makeup speed and he has a ton of burst."

Considering the pass-happy nature of today's league, it is key to have not just cornerback depth but a player in the secondary who can erase the opponent's top threats. When you factor in receivers Jacksonville will play this year, such as A.J. Brown, T.Y. Hilton, Allen Robinson, Adam Thielen, Kenny Golladay, Davante Adams, Keenan Allen and several others, then it is simply pivotal for the Jaguars to have a cornerback who can stick with top-flight receivers.

“We went on this journey, and we looked for guys that would fit our team, not only athletically, but we got two tremendous athletes," Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell said after the draft's first round. "Guys that really fit the mold of what we look in a corner. C.J. (Henderson) can cover. We believe he can take a team’s number one receiver [away] because of his athleticism and his speed."

There should be the standard rookie bumps in the road expected for Henderson, which is both normal and expected, but look for the Jaguars to entrust him with one of the defense's most pivotal positions from the jump. 

Henderson will almost assuredly be asked to help the Jaguars rebuild what was one the ultimate strength of the team, resulting in him  being one of the most important players on the entire roster entering the 2020 season.