Before the start of the 2021 NFL regular season, reports surfaced about Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback C.J. Henderson being available via trade. At the time, no deal came to fruition and the former Gator remained with the team. However, things have now changed and the Jags have finally dealt him.
The Jaguars have announced they traded Henderson to the Carolina Panthers for tight end Dan Arnold. The second-year cornerback played the first two games of the season and missed the Jags’ Week 3 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals with a groin injury. He played 108 defensive snaps and logged eight total tackles and one tackle for a loss. Moreover, he allowed five receptions and one receiving touchdown on eight targets and posted a Pro Football Focus grade of 51.1. What Kind of player did the Jaguars get in Arnold?
The tight end signed with the New Orleans Saints in 2017 after going undrafted. He spent that year on the Injured/Reserve list, and made his debut in The Big Easy until 2018. He was waived in December 2019 and promptly claimed by the Arizona Cardinals, where he spent the 2020 season. He then signed with the Panthers this offseason, playing all three games and hauling in seven receptions for 84 yards.
If the Jaguars traded for Arnold, it’s because they weren’t pleased with their current tight end room. Also, they probably didn’t see Henderson as part of the rebuild. This move may help the team in the long run but it doesn’t look good right now. Here are a couple of observations about the deal.
1. The Jacksonville Jaguars shouldn’t have traded CJ Henderson.
C.J. Henderson was far from a shutdown cornerback but he is a solid starter at this point of his career. Moving on from him leaves them with not much depth at the position. Rookie Campbell took his place in the lineup in Week 3. He could stay there and develop into an outside corner but he’s currently a work in progress. Against the Cardinals, the former Georgia Bulldog was targeted six times and allowed 77 yards.
The Jags don’t have much depth behind Shaquill Griffin, and Campbell. Veteran Nevin Lawson, who landed in Jacksonville not long ago, and sophomore Chris Claybrooks are the other cornerbacks on the team’s active roster. Before Jacksonville traded Sidney Jones in the offseason, the position looked like a potential strength. Heading into Week 4, it looks far from great.
Slot cornerback Tre Herndon suffered an MCL injury in the preseason and hasn’t played in this season yet. Maybe the team’s brass believes he’s close to returning, which made them feel comfortable about trading Henderson. It still doesn’t justify the move. The ninth overall pick in the 2020 draft has shown flashes through his career, and even if he turns out to be only a serviceable starter, it leaves the Jags thin at cornerback.
The case could be made that the new regime is trying to “fix” all the mistakes from the previous administration but if that is the case, they should have waited until the end of the season. Parting ways with him after three games is puzzling.
2. The CJ Henderson trade reflects poorly on the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Ok, so focus on the player the Jaguars acquired in exchange for C.J. Henderson, Dan Arnold. In the end, it doesn’t matter if the team’s brass moved on from a former first-round pick as long as they got a difference-maker, right? That’s the thing, this move was unnecessary. The former Panther could end up giving the Jags’ offense a boost but he’s far from a First-Team All-Pro.
Since 2018, Arnold has appeared in 34 games with eight starts and has caught 58 receptions for 799 yards with seven receiving touchdowns. He isn’t suddenly going to turn the Jaguars into an offensive powerhouse, let alone a playoff contender. Also, the trade reflects poorly on the team’s brass and the moves they made to revamp the tight end room during the offseason.
Arnold was a free agent earlier this year but the Jags opted to sign Chris Manhertz instead. Also, they brought back veteran James O’Shaughnessy and drafted Luke Farrell in the fifth round of this year’s selection meeting. Before the start of the regular season, the Jags locked up Jacob Hollister.
O’Shaughnessy is currently out with an ankle injury but he led all Jaguars’ tight ends with seven catches. Hollister was inactive the first two games and made a costly mistake against the Cardinals. Meanwhile, Farrell has only hauled in two receptions for five yards. It’s clear the unit needed help but not at the expense of the cornerback group.
The Jaguars’ are trying to upgrade their tight end on the fly. Had they addressed it properly in the offseason, they wouldn’t have to be reporting to short-term fixes. Also, Henderson could still be in Jacksonville.