Panthers trade for corner C.J. Henderson

The Carolina Panthers have traded tight end Dan Arnold and a third round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for cornerback C.J. Henderson and a fifth round pick. We’ll update you when we know what years those picks will be in.

Henderson is a former first round pick (ninth overall) who struggled his rookie year but apparently began turning heads this preseason. If he can live up to the hype of his draft billing/preseason press then he is exactly the kind of young, talented corner that will help the Panthers already impressive defense not miss a beat during the absence of Jaycee Horn. Henderson has three years, plus a possible fifth year option remaining on his rookie contract.

This move comes after the team expressed interest in veteran cornerback Richard Sherman. Henderson, as a young and upcoming talent, demanded a higher price than Sherman would have. This appears to be even more of a ‘win now’ move than an investment in an aging veteran would have been. The benefit, and worth of the higher price, is that ‘now’ can be defined by the greater length of Henderson’s contract versus the likely one-year rental they would have had with a Sherman signing.

Dan Arnold, meanwhile, was the belle of the Panthers preseason ball. His budding relationship with reclamation project Sam Darnold was the source of much of fans optimism about their new quarterback based off of training camp reports. That relationship did not translate to any great success on the field through the Panthers first three games. He recorded only seven receptions on 11 targets for 84 yards.

This is a great opportunity for Tommy Tremble to step up as the tight end/gadget player he was drafted to be. Rhule has called the rookie “this year’s Jeremy Chinn.” On a personal note, I’m also thrilled I never invested in a Cameo of an Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonator doing game audio of a Darnold to Arnold touchdown pass.