JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jaguars cornerback C.J. Henderson returned to practice Tuesday after being excused from Sunday's scrimmage for personal reasons, and the team is optimistic that the second-year player can make up for all the time he has missed in training camp before the Sept. 12 season opener.
Henderson was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list July 23. He was activated Friday but has participated in only two of the team's 11 practices.
"He can make us a lot better football team," assistant head coach/inside linebackers coach Charlie Strong said Tuesday. "Just to see him get around us and get out on the field and go to work was really exciting.
"I think we've still got enough time here [to get him ready]. We're what, a month still out from playing our first game, and then we have these preseason games and they will be good to get him back so he can get out there and run around. But just knowing that he can get back and we can just teach him the defense and he can learn it, because we're doing a lot on defense and it would be good for him to get back and just go through the whole learning process. Even if he can't come after practice, just being in the classroom really helps."
Strong said he and coach Urban Meyer are committed to helping Henderson, the No. 9 overall pick in 2020, recover from a rough rookie season that included a shoulder and groin injury that eventually landed him on injured reserve in November and that the two recently visited Henderson at his home.
"Any time you have a great young man like that, you want to make sure that you do everything possible to help him and to help him get back on track," Strong said. "I was telling Coach, I said, 'We're out of the process of just trying to just get guys and just push them aside.' Our whole thing is just creating value for him.
"... He wants to play. And that's the thing. He's going to do everything he can to get back, and we're going to do everything we can to help him get back."
Henderson's NFL debut in 2020 was impressive, with five tackles, an interception and three pass breakups, including one on fourth down to seal the Jaguars' victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Henderson injured his shoulder three weeks later but played through it, which contributed to his inconsistency. A groin injury suffered against the Green Bay Packers ended his season after eight games.
Henderson, who underwent offseason shoulder surgery, was expected to be the Jaguars' top cornerback in 2021, but Sidney Jones worked in his spot with the first-team defense during Henderson's time on the reserve list. Henderson worked with the second-team defense at times Tuesday.