NFC South odds: Panthers fill hole in secondary by trading Dan Arnold for Jaguars' CJ Henderson; Tommy Tremble could get Fantasy boost

It's pretty unusual to see a trade in the NFL this early in the season, but the winless Jacksonville Jaguars apparently already are waiving the white flag on another lost season as they are shipping out cornerback CJ Henderson, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, to the unbeaten Carolina Panthers. The Jags get tight end Dan Arnold and a third-round pick while also sending back a fifth-rounder.

This move makes all the sense in the world for the Panthers after they lost cornerback Jaycee Horn, the No. 8 overall pick this year, to a broken foot in last Thursday's win in Houston. Horn is going to miss months and maybe even the rest of the season. The team had reached out to free agent Richard Sherman in the wake of that injury; not clear if this trade affects a possible Sherman signing. Carolina GM Scott Fitterer was the director of college scouting at Seattle in 2011 when the Seahawks selected Sherman in the fifth round.

Henderson has not lived up to his draft status thus far. As a rookie, he allowed 27 catches on 43 targets in eight games. In two games this year, he had six tackles – Henderson missed Sunday's loss to Arizona with a groin injury and illness. He had been rumored on the trade block all summer.

Jacksonville was in need of a tight end with James O'Shaughnessy going down in Week 2 with an ankle injury that landed him on injured reserve. Arnold has seven catches for 84 yards. Jacksonville had pursued him in free agency. Rookie Tommy Tremble could be the biggest beneficiary of Arnold's departure. Tremble was a third-round pick out of Notre Dame and has one catch for 30 yards and one carry for seven yards and a TD (he became the youngest tight end ever with a rushing TD). The Cats are very high on him. 

Even though Carolina is 3-0 and leads the NFC South by a game over Tampa Bay and New Orleans (which also reportedly was interested in Henderson), oddsmakers at Caesars Sportsbook list the Panthers as +600 third-favorites in the division behind the Bucs (-250) and Saints (+380).

The Panthers visit Dallas this Sunday as the Cowboys will be on a short week after hosting the Eagles tonight. Carolina will be without superstar running back Christian McCaffrey for a few games after he injured his hamstring vs. the Texans. Veteran cornerback A.J. Bouye is expected to play his first game for Carolina after serving his two-game suspension (he was inactive for Week 3 for conditioning reasons).

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