The Pittsburgh Steelers boast one of the NFL's top defenses to start the 2024 season. Now, they've added another notable name to the unit, on Wednesday signing former first-round draft pick C.J. Henderson to their practice squad.
Henderson, 25, was originally drafted No. 9 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020. He joins a Pittsburgh secondary featuring several other early-round prospects, including former Carolina Panthers teammate Donte Jackson, who was acquired via trade this offseason; and 2023 first-round pick Joey Porter Jr.
Henderson's addition comes a day after the Steelers placed reserve corner Cory Trice Jr. (hamstring) on injured reserve. Pittsburgh is also without veteran starter Cameron Sutton, who rejoined the club this summer but is serving an eight-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.
Henderson was last seen with the Houston Texans, who signed him in March but released him as part of final roster cuts in August. The former Florida standout played just 10 games with the Jaguars, his original team, before Jacksonville traded him to the Panthers during his second NFL season. He went on to start 22 games for Carolina from 2021-2023, logging two interceptions and 10 pass breakups.