Todd Wash Evaluates CJ Henderson's Performance Vs. the Texans

CJ Henderson has caughten some flak for his Week 9 game against the Houston Texans, but what does his defensive coordinator think about how he played?

There aren't many positions in sports harder to play than cornerback, let alone at the professional level. This is a lesson that all rookie corners learn one way or another, including Jacksonville Jaguars rookie CJ Henderson.

The No. 9 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Henderson was quickly projected to be an impact player for a Jaguars defense that badly needed one in the secondary. Things started out just as all had hoped in Week 1 when Henderson dominated the Indianapolis Colts and T.Y. Hilton, but Henderson has had his fair share of rookie moments as of late as well.

Some of these rookie moments came against the Houston Texans in Week 9, a game Henderson can absolutely learn from but would otherwise benefit from forgetting. The talented and athletic corner started out strong but gave up some big plays down the stretch, including two plays that led directly to Houston scores.

At the end of the first half, Henderson was called for a 50-yard defensive pass interference. Just a few plays later, the Texans would punch the ball into the end zone for a touchdown with 0:31 left in the half.

Then in the third quarter, Henderson allowed his biggest gaffe of the season by a wide margin -- a 77-yard touchdown to Will Fuller on a third-and-6. This would be Houston's final score of the day and only score of the second half.

But Jaguars defensive coordinator Todd Wash isn't dismayed by his young cornerback's mistakes. The lumps are going to come at one point or another, after all. The important things are that he learns from his mistakes. 

The learning experience Henderson can take from Week 9? Wash has that explained, too.

"We were in man coverage there, we were bringing pressure on the [Will] Fuller touchdown. He’s just got to be able to transition, play into the guy and get the guy down," Wash said Thursday.

"You know, I think he got—the wide receiver got in his blind spot. And that’s tough, when the ball gets in your blind spot, you can’t find it. But like we talked about, let’s just lean and squeeze back into him and find a way to get him down. It’s not a big deal if he catches it, we’ve just got to get him down.”

Wash would also go on to note that giving up a pass interference isn't necessarily a bad thing in certain situations. You would, of course, prefer to not give up any positive yardage, but one would take a 50-yard penalty over a 93-yard touchdown every time. Such was the case with Henderson on his interference before halftime.

"The one right before the half, he felt like he was beat, he couldn’t find the football; which is tough when he was in trail position. And you’d rather have him get a PI than give up a touchdown right there," Wash said.

"Hopefully, we can have some more vertical grass to try to defend; I think that was a good decision by CJ. The last thing you want to do is give up that big one, over the top, right before 2 minutes. So, I thought that one was a good decision and I think he’s getting better and better as we go."

Cornerback is a lot like the offensive line in the way that the bad reps get noticed much, much more than the good reps. Henderson's Week 9 performance was a good example, with Wash noting the two big plays he gave up were far from the only things he put on tape. 

"He had a heck of a break on an out route, just misplayed it a little bit and that had a possibility of being a pick-six. So, he’s getting his hands on some balls," Wash said.

"I think he’s getting better, I think Tim [Walton] is doing a really nice job each week getting those guys prepared to play. And he’s only going to get better as he keeps growing within game time.”

The hope for the Jaguars is that Henderson will learn from each experience he has in 2020, whether positive or negative. If he ensures he brings the receiver down next time he is beat over the top like he was in Week 9, the Jaguars will be happy to have seen him go through his down moments. 

Only time will tell if that will happen, of course. But for now, the Jaguars will have to continue developing Henderson and take the good with the bad -- just as they will with each rookie.