Chicago Bears: 3 players to trade for cornerback C.J. Henderson
By Ryan Heckman
This year, the Chicago Bears took a big gamble in their cornerback room when they released former All Pro Kyle Fuller. Bears fans were not happy to see him go, especially because he was immediately signed by former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and his Denver Broncos.
The Bears then brought in veteran Desmond Trufant, who should assume the starting role next to Jaylon Johnson. However, Kindle Vildor is making a nice push to try and snag the job from Trufant.
Still, the Bears’ cornerback room is not set. It’s not necessarily a strength of the team right now, and they should still monitor players who may be available via trade or cut later this month.
One particular player the Bears could target in the coming days is last year’s first-round pick C.J. Henderson of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
If C.J. Henderson is indeed available via trade, the Chicago Bears should take a swing.
For some reason, a recent report has the Jaguars potentially moving on from Henderson in a trade. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweeted that things are good between Henderson and Jacksonville, but that they also love their cornerback room and would be willing to part with him.
A surprise: Multiple team execs believe #Jaguars corner C.J. Henderson -- the ninth overall pick in 2020 -- is available via trade. Jacksonville has given impression in some league circles that it's shopping Henderson, a high-pedigree player one year into rookie deal.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) August 8, 2021
Henderson was decent as a rookie, but his play was fairly inconsistent as evidenced by his 57.9 Pro Football Focus grade over the 2020 season.
Only playing in eight games as a rookie due to a groin injury, Henderson came up with 36 tackles, six passes defensed, one interception and one forced fumble.
Coming out of Florida last year, Henderson was known as a solid man cornerback who possessed pro traits and looked ready for the NFL. If the Bears made a move for Henderson, he very well would come in as the starter.
The Bears could absolutely deal the Jaguars a package worthy of Henderson. The following three players might make sense along with a pick in order to land the former first-round pick.