Jets sign troubled LB
The Jets took a lowrisk flyer on troubled inside linebacker Erin Henderson on Tuesday, agreeing to terms on a oneyear deal for the NFL veteran’s minimum with the ex-Viking.
Henderson, who was out of the league last season after a pair of DWI arrests and a marijuana possession charge, will join recently signed Jamari Lattimore and Mario Harvey as depth behind inside starters David Harris and Demario Davis in the Jets’ 34 scheme.
Henderson, 28, was signed after the Jets put him through an onfield workout in Arizona last month and hosted him for a visit to their Florham Park facility last week.
The 6foot3, 242pound Henderson is expected to be available right away. He was suspended four games last September by the NFL after the Vikings had released him, but a league source said Henderson already has served that suspension in the eyes of the NFL.
Henderson made Minnesota’s roster as an undrafted free agent in 2008 and worked his way into a starting role in his fourth season, then earned a twoyear, $ 4 million deal in 2013 after recording seven sacks and two interceptions the previous two seasons combined.
Henderson, who spent time in rehab after the DUIs, also worked out for the Chiefs and 49ers before settling on the Jets.
“I like to call myself a recovering alcoholic,” Henderson told USA Today in an interview last year. “I understand it’s an ongoing battle. It’s a lifelong thing. Anybody that’s dealt with me, anybody in the Vikings organization, know that the things that transpired aren’t me. That was a different person that had taken over my body, pretty much.”