Free agency does not begin until the middle of next week, but the Jets and general manager Mike Maccagnan made a minor move on Monday, tendering running back De’Angelo Henderson.
Henderson spent the majority of the 2018 season on the Jets practice squad. A sixth-round pick of the Broncos’ back in 2017, he joined the Jets last season after being let go by Denver in early September.
With the Jets poised to be aggressive in adding a running back in free agency, it is unlikely that Henderson will have a big role in 2019. However, the Jets do think highly enough of him to put a tender on him before free agency begins, meaning that if a team was to sign Henderson, the Jets would get some sort of draft pick compensation back.
It will be interesting to see what Henderson’s role could potentially be if the Jets are able to land a player like Le’Veon Bell or Tevin Coleman. It is almost a foregone conclusion that the team will move on from Isaiah Crowell and veteran running back Bilal Powell is a free agent coming off major surgery. Could Henderson stick around as the third back on the team with Elijah McGuire?
The tendering of Henderson is a just a warm-up for what should be an action-packed free agency for the Jets as they look to replenish the roster with over $100 million in cap space.
