C.J. Henderson vs. Russell Gage
How quickly times change.
At the start of the season, the Carolina Panthers had possibly the best corner duo in the league with first-round rookie Jaycee Horn locking up whoever he was lined up against and Donte Jackson playing at a Pro Bowl level for most of the year.
Then Horn broke his foot in Week 3 and Jackson was just placed on season-ending injured/reserve during the bye, leaving his future with the team uncertain if Stephon Gilmore decides to surprise everyone and stick around.
The quick fix for this glaring problem was a trade for second-year player C.J. Henderson. This was a developmental project from the start, a move for the future, not the present.
Henderson has been flashy in his limited reps, to say the least. The first real memory I have of the corner is getting beaten badly against the Dallas Cowboys and my father yelling “Touchdown Dallas” as the young player picked himself off the turf.
There have been massive improvements in Henderson’s game since then and there is some real potential that he becomes a corner of the future for this Panthers team. That said, Sunday is going to test just how much growth there has been as he will draw the assignment of containing the explosive Russell Gage.
While Gage didn’t start the year as the Atlanta Falcons’ No.1 target and still isn’t, he is their best true receiver and has the gifts to make a defense hurt if given space. He is also clearly the focus of the team when Kyle Pitts is being locked down, putting up 130 yards on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers proves that point.
Gage’s combination of shiftiness and top-end speed is a nightmare for anyone to cover and any mistake will be capitalized on in a heartbeat. The Falcons use this to their advantage by drawing up screens, rubs, and even lining him up in the backfield.
Keeping track of Gage will be a top priority of the Panthers’ defense and Henderson will be the one with his eyes glued to No. 14.