5 major letdowns from the Carolina Panthers 2022 season

C.J. Henderson – Carolina Panthers CB

Let’s just get what is probably the most obvious choice out of the way first and talk for a moment about cornerback C.J. Henderson.

The Carolina Panthers, desperate for corner help, decided to trade away their only true receiving tight end to the Jacksonville Jaguars in return for the streaky, albeit promising, Henderson during the 2021 season.

On the surface, it seemed like a steal. Carolina was able to shore up a needy position and got a player with tremendous upside and starting capability. That, unfortunately for all those involved, turned out to be very far from the truth.

What the Panthers got instead was a young player who could never get past their own mental mistakes and never lived up to the hype. Teams actively targeted Henderson when they needed cheap yardage and with a disturbing frequency, they got exactly what they wanted.

The football IQ is there, the physical gifts are there. They just never showed up at the same time for Henderson.

Between mental lapses leading to blown coverages, and just a simple disparity in skill, it was nothing short of a nightmare once Henderson stepped into the shoes of the oft-injured Jackson.

It was bad enough watching tight ends just run away from the young corner on simple out routes or crossers. But once it was the opposing team’s top wideout running free in the secondary, it became unbearable.

There is no world in which Henderson should be starting for the Panthers in 2023. All you have to do is pick any game from this season to see why.