Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback C.J. Henderson is reportedly on the trading block and the Dallas Cowboys should absolutely pursue a trade
Every now and then in life, the stars align perfectly and your greatest needs are somehow magically met.
This is also true in the NFL as the Dallas Cowboys suddenly have a chance at making their team much better by adding a player who fills a massive need.
On Sunday, it was reported by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN that the Jacksonville Jaguars might be willing to deal second-year cornerback C.J. Henderson — who they took at No. 9 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.
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
For the Cowboys, this is an opportunity they simply cannot let pass them by. Currently, this is a team that has one of the most explosive offenses on paper but as we saw from Week 1 through Week 5 of the 2020 season even while Dak Prescott was healthy, that wasn’t enough.
Prescott was putting up yardage at a historical rate but they were still just 2-3 overall when he went out with a broken ankle — and they could have been 0-5 if not for a crazy onside kick against Atlanta and a last-minute drive from Andy Dalton after Dak went down.
The problem was, no matter how much they scored, the opposing team could score more. And the biggest issue was clearly in the secondary where rookie Trevon Diggs as well as veterans Chidobe Awuzie, Anthony Brown, and Jourdan Lewis were struggling mightily.
Dallas hopes to be better this season after adding Kelvin Joseph in the draft and adding some safeties with the signing of Malik Hooker and Damontae Kazee. Even with those moves, there’s no denying that Henderson has the most potential of anyone currently wearing the star that attempts to cover receivers.
Even more important, Henderson is playing on a rookie deal — meaning the Cowboys would only be on the hook for roughly $7.5 million over the next three seasons while also having the ability to pick up a fifth-year option.
The one question to ask in this scenario is what the Jaguars want. Reports suggest they like Henderson and it seems this is simply a case of a new coaching staff being willing to get something in exchange for a guy they didn’t draft. With that being the case, they will probably hold out for a first-round pick much like the Miami Dolphins did back in 2019 with safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
That deal worked out well for both sides and the Steelers have been more than thrilled with their acquisition — already gaining 79 tackles and nine picks in 30 games from the former first-round pick.
Perhaps Dallas will learn from that deal and realize it’s worth making a play for a 22-year-old who was a top-10 pick just one season ago.