Panthers replace injured Jaycee Horn with former Top 10 pick in trade with Jaguars
By Jakob Ashlin
Following Jaycee Horn’s injury, the Carolina Panthers bolstered their cornerback depth with the acquisition of C.J. Henderson in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Carolina Panthers rookie cornerback Jaycee Horn exited Thursday’s game against the Houston Texans after suffering a foot injury. Upon further evaluation, Horn is believed to have suffered multiple fractures in his foot and will be sidelined for two-three months.
The Panthers made a move to upgrade their cornerback depth chart with Horn sidelined, trading for former first-round pick C.J. Henderson and a fifth-round pick from the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for tight end Dan Arnold and a third-round pick.
Trade! The #Panthers are closing in on a trade for CB CJ Henderson, sources say.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 27, 2021
The details: CAR TE Dan Arnold and a third-round pick to the #Jaguars for the former Jax first-round pick Henderson and a fifth-rounder. Immediate help in Carolina, while Henderson starts new.
Henderson was the ninth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He is still only 22-years-old. He played in eight games last season, recording 36 combined tackles, one interception and one forced fumble. He struggled in coverage, at times. When targeted, Henderson allowed 443 receiving yards, four touchdowns and a passer rating of 110.2.
Panthers replace Jaycee Horn with C.J. Henderson in trade with Jaguars
Those struggles carried over to this season.
Still, Henderson is only 10 games into his NFL career and he was one of the best cornerbacks in the nation at Florida. Physically, he has all the tools to develop into an elite cornerback. He is 6-foot-1 and ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine. This is a move that could benefit the Panthers in both the short-term and long term.
On the other side, the Jaguars acquire another target for rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
For new #Jaguars TE Dan Arnold, he becomes a top target for Trevor Lawrence. Jax went after him in free agency this offseason, so this makes sense. And for Carolina at 3-0, they make an aggressive move to build on their hot start. https://t.co/BJiBgixN2H
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 27, 2021
The Jaguars were thin at tight end with James O’Shaughnessy on the IR, leaving Chris Manhertz as the current starter. Arnold was a player the Jaguars pursued in free agency, so now they get the player they wanted.
In three games with the Panthers, Arnold had seven receptions for 84 yards. Last season, he had 31 receptions for 438 yards and four touchdowns with the Arizona Cardinals.