Just when everybody thought the Jaguars were done with drama from a first-round cornerback pick, here we go again.
It’s an entirely different situation from the soap opera that diva Jalen Ramsey created in 2019, but there’s legitimate growing concern about whether CJ Henderson has much of a future in Jacksonville.
By no means is Henderson -- one of the most interview-reticent, high-profile players in Jaguars’ history -- trying to publicly stir any pot. His silence, and more so his excessive unavailability since being put on injured reserve (groin) last November, are a stark contrast to the Ramsey histrionics that led to his Jaguars’ divorce and eventual trade to the Los Angeles Rams.
There’s a much deeper mystery about what’s going on with Henderson, starting with his on-again, off-again presence at Jaguars’ training camp practices. It has spawned widespread speculation about his job focus, whether he has any kind of a mental health issue, or if the team is entertaining the possibility of trading him.
Antennas certainly went up Sunday when Jaguars’ coach Urban Meyer had zero interest in discussing Henderson after he didn’t show up for a scrimmage/glorified practice at TIAA Bank Field. The ex-Florida Gator took part in team drills Saturday, didn’t practice on Friday and had been getting acclimated before then after coming off the COVID-19 list.
When Meyer was asked what was happening with Henderson, meaning why he wasn’t at practice, he fired back a two-word response: “Personal reasons.”
So is it going to be difficult for CJ to overcome this, meaning make up for lost time and compete for a starting job, Meyer replied: “I don’t know.”
That doesn’t do a whole lot to foster optimism about Henderson living up to his status as a No. 9 overall draft pick. In fact, it only raises more red flags than were already there after Henderson missed the last eight games of the 2020 season, then underwent postseason shoulder surgery.
Missing precious time
So far this year, an almost entirely different coaching staff has had minimal personal contact with Henderson because he was either rehabbing or in COVID-19 protocols.
Actually, there was some very personal interaction recently, if you count assistant head coach/inside linebackers coach Charlie Strong acknowledging Tuesday that he and Meyer paid a visit to Henderson’s residence to check on him.
NFL coaches aren’t in the habit of doing that unless they have concerns about a player’s welfare, and that could mean any number of things.
“No, we didn’t have to go over to get him to come to the facility,” Strong said. “We just had a conversation with him. Any time you have a great young man like that, you want to make sure that you do everything possible to help him and to help him get back on track.”
Back on track from what, though? That could be interpreted, and misinterpreted, a lot of different ways. Henderson was back at practice Tuesday, participating in some 11-on-11 and other times backing off during individual drills.
Whatever his status might be leading up to Saturday’s preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns or the rest of camp, Meyer and his staff don’t know if they can count on Henderson to be ready to compete for a starting job.
Strong couldn’t even say for certain whether one of the team’s most important players -- after an offseason in which the Jaguars signed premium free-agent cornerback Shaquill Griffin and drafted Georgia cornerback Tyson Campbell in the second round – is back on a full-time basis.
“Well, it’s just hard to say because today was his first day,” said Strong. “So, we’re going to have to work through it and we’re going to do everything we can to get him in position where he can come back and go to work for us.”
Actually, it was Henderson’s second or third “first day,” depending on how one looks at his recent attendance sheet. The larger point is Strong’s wording hardly makes anyone confident of Henderson being the Jaguars’ starting outside cornerback opposite Griffin in the season opener against the Houston Texans, which is just 32 days away, or maybe even being in a Jaguar uniform at all.
An uncertain future
While Strong insists Henderson wants to play and there’s still time to “teach him the defense,” the truth is he has missed out on enough practice reps and other pertinent preparation for Meyer to be uncomfortable about addressing what exactly is wrong with CJ.
When asked if he believed Henderson was focused, Strong replied: “When you talk about just focus, it’s just more of him getting around and being out at practice and then he will get focused and locked in. But it’s going to be a step-by-step process and we’re willing to take whatever time we have to take to help work with him.”
Seven months ago, a departed Jaguars’ coach told me to watch out for Henderson “off the field” without giving any details. Well, there has been plenty of smoke since then to indicate that nobody would now be surprised if some kind of fire erupts.
A recent NFL Network tweet suggested the Jaguars were floating Henderson as trade bait, with cornerback-needy teams like the New Orleans Saints being a possible trade partner.
Then again, you have to wonder what would a team give in return for a first-rounder the Jaguars were ready to give up on before Year 2. That’s just a small part of the drama swirling around No. 23 at the moment.
Who knows where this is all going? Hopefully, for Henderson’s sake, he can get back on the field permanently and legitimately compete for the job that Sidney Jones and Campbell are threatening to take away.
Otherwise, he might be destined to go down that same underachieving path as other Florida Gator first-rounders the Jaguars selected like Derrick Harvey, Dante Fowler, Jr., and still-not-practicing Taven Bryan.
More cornerback drama. Just what the Jaguars don’t need.
