5 big winners from the Carolina Panthers’ trade for C.J. Henderson

C.J. Henderson – Carolina Panthers CB

The biggest winner of all is C.J. Henderson.

And it’s not even close.

Imagine being in Henderson’s shoes today. Going from an 0-3 team with no real belief in your abilities to the 3-0 Carolina Panthers who clearly see something in the player.

Matt Rhule stated in his presser following the move that they almost pulled the trigger on Henderson at No. 7 overall. In truth, they probably would have done had Derrick Brown not fallen into their laps.

Now they have both.

Henderson has everything the Panthers look for in a new recruit. He is versatile, athletic, and comes with plenty of scope for growth.

There are some elements of Henderson’s game that need work. Most notably when it comes to run support and tackling efficiently.

But this is a low-risk, high reward pickup by the Panthers that could reap some short and long-term rewards if it pans out.

Nobody should be happier about this trade than Henderson himself. However, what comes next is entirely up to a cornerback with every skill needed to make a real success of his time in Carolina.