The Atlanta Falcons have been tinkering with their roster again in the run-up to their second preseason game, cutting ties with UDFA offensive lineman Michael Gonzalez and placing defensive back Grayland Arnold on the reserve/injured list while signing safety Ronnie Harrison as an inside linebacker and adding center Jake Hanson. Now they’ve made another move with an eye on potentially shoring up their secondary depth ahead of the season.
The reason this one will cause a raised eyebrow or two is because
of who the player is. That would be C.J. Henderson, the former first round pick in the same draft where the Falcons later took A.J. Terrell, and the fact that he reportedly chose Atlanta over other landing spots.
Both cornerbacks taken ahead of Terrell will now have a stint in Atlanta—Jeff Okudah is the other—and neither has been close to as successful as Terrell since 2020. Henderson was touted as a young, hyper-athletic, and long cornerback who could dominate receivers on the outside, but his career has been defined by inconsistency and injuries. He last appeared in an NFL regular season game in 2023 with the Carolina Panthers, where he was a seven game starter and allowed 310 yards and four touchdowns on the year.
In Atlanta, Henderson is vying for a reserve role, and while you might think his late arrival to the roster suggests he’s more likely to push for a practice squad spot initially, there may well be room for him. While Natrone Brooks has been customarily good this summer, Atlanta’s other boundary corner reserve options have had more mixed training camps and initial preseason games, with Lamar Jackson scuffling a bit against the Lions, Clark Phillips dealing with a rib injury, and Cobee Bryant looking like the rookie he is early on and unfortunately dealing with an injury. There’s a chance that getting up to speed quickly and impressing in the final two preseason games will give Henderson a real shot at CB5, behind starters A.J. Terrell, Mike Hughes, (likely) Dee Alford, and rookie Billy Bowman.
We’ll have to see about that, but give Henderson a warm welcome while we wait for the corresponding move and Friday night’s preseason game.
