Henderson experiences the topsy-turvy NFL life

QUADREE Henderson is getting a heavy dose of what life is like in the NFL: here today, gone tomorrow, then back again as if you’d never left.

The rookie free agent from Pittsburgh was unemployed Tuesday when the Giants waived him to make room for rookie defensive lineman RJ McIntosh, who was activated off the non-football illness list. Now it looks like Henderson will be back returning punts and kickoffs when the Giants travel to San Francisco for a Monday night game against the 49ers.

“I’m just happy to be playing football in the NFL again,” Henderson told The Post on Saturday. “I’ve been dreaming about this since I was 5 years old. It’s here now. I’ve just got to try to take advantage of it.”

The Giants roster has turned into a revolving door that probably won’t stop anytime soon, as general manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur continue to tear down and rebuild in the midst of what is currently a 1-7 season.

Henderson, cut by the Steelers during the preseason, was first signed to the Giants practice squad on Oct. 4 before being activated on Oct. 21. He had played in the Giants’ two most recent games at Atlanta and home against Washington. He averaged nearly 8 yards on six punt returns and 22 yards on five kickoff returns.

After being released to make room for McIntosh, Henderson had to clear waivers before the Giants could re-sign him back to the practice squad. On Saturday, the Giants waived Patrick Omameh, who had started the season’s first six games at right guard, clearing space on the active roster for the 5foot-8, 192pound Henderson.

“We hoped that he would clear and then be available for us like he was,” Shurmur said of Henderson. “We put him on the practice squad and now we bumped him up.”

This is where the Giants are at: waiving an offensive lineman they have invested money and time in for a free-agent kick returner. Expect the unexpected.

“We’re constantly looking to try to get the right combination of guys,” Shurmur said. “We don’t have a problem playing young players. We’ll constantly change the roster, and then the players that are here, we’re going to continue to develop them.”

Henderson was hopeful of returning to the Giants when he was waived. But there were no guarantees.

“I’m patient with everything,” he said. “God has a plan for everybody. I put my faith in God. What- ever he has for me is going to come someday. It was just that one day off and then they signed me back to practice squad. To get that message that they were calling me back up was a blessing.”

The call to return to work wasn’t the only call Henderson cherished. The calls from his teammates when they heard he was released meant as much. Safety Michael Thomas, a five-year veteran, told Henderson to keep his head up.

“He’s a good guy,” Henderson said of Thomas. “He’s one of those guys you can talk to about anything.”

There was also a phone call from wide receiver Russell Shepard, a six-year veteran.

“He called the day I was released,” Henderson said. “He said he didn’t want me to be claimed. He said hopefully I would be back. It’s good to be around these types of people.”

Henderson is back and another offensive lineman is gone. Opportunity is going to knock often for the Giants. Henderson wants to be part of the Giants rebuilding plans.

“I definitely want to be part of it,” he said. “I think we can accomplish a lot in the second half of the season. You go out there and practice every day and then go out there on Sundays, Mondays or Thursday and hopefully it escalates from there and we can get the ball rolling.”

Henderson will get another chance to prove he’s worth keeping.