# KJ Henry

Keith Jeremiah Henry (born January 27, 1999) is an American professional football defensive end. He played college football for the Clemson Tigers and was selected by the Washington Commanders in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL draft. Henry has also been a member of the Cincinnati Bengals.

## Early life

Henry was born on January 27, 1999, in Athens, Ohio. His father Keith was an assistant coach under Jim Grobe on the Ohio Bobcats football team. Henry's family moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 2001.
He attended West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, North Carolina, where he had 24 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, and 14 passes deflected as a senior for their football team in 2017. Rated a five-star recruit, he signed a National Letter of Intent to play college football for the Tigers at Clemson University.

## College career

Henry played in four games for the Tigers as a freshman before redshirting. He played in all 15 of the Tigers' games as a redshirt freshman, making 22 tackles with two sacks.
As a sophomore, he appeared in 15 games as a backup, registering 22 tackles (4.5 for loss), 2 sacks and 3 passes defensed.
As a junior, he appeared in 13 games (4 starts), collecting 28 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. He earned a degree in sports communication in December 2020 before receiving a Master's Degree in athletic leadership in December 2021.
Henry considered entering the 2022 NFL draft, before opting to return to Clemson for a fifth season. He started all 14 games, tallying 59 tackles (9 for loss), 3.5 sacks, 24 quarterback pressures (led the team), 6 passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Against Georgia Tech, he had 6 tackles (2.5 for loss), on sack, 5 quarterback pressures and one forced fumble.

### College statistics

| Season | Games | Tackles | Tackles | Tackles | Tackles | Tackles | Fumbles | Fumbles |
| Season | Games | Total | Solo | Ast | TFL | Sacks | FF | FR |
| 2018 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 11 | 23 | 6 | 17 | 4.5 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 10 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 6 | 3.5 | 0 | 1 |
| 2021 | 11 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 6.5 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 2022 | 14 | 51 | 26 | 25 | 9 | 3.5 | 1 | 1 |
| Career | 48 | 124 | 63 | 61 | 28 | 13 | 2 | 3 |

## Professional career

Pre-draft measurables :
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump |
| 6 ft 4+1⁄4 in (1.94 m) | 251 lb (114 kg) | 33 in (0.84 m) | 10 in (0.25 m) | 4.63 s | 1.65 s | 2.66 s | 4.45 s | 7.47 s | 31.5 in (0.80 m) | 9 ft 4 in (2.84 m) |

### Washington Commanders

Henry was selected by the Washington Commanders in the fifth round (137th overall) of the 2023 NFL draft. He signed his four-year rookie contract on May 12, 2023. He appeared in 10 games (3 starts), registering 19 tackles (4 for loss), 1.5 sacks and 2 passes defensed.
In 2024, the Commanders hired new head coach Dan Quinn. On August 27, 2024, Henry was released as part of final roster cuts before the start of the season.

### Cincinnati Bengals

Henry was claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Bengals August 28, 2024. He appeared in 2 games as a backup and did not post any stats. He was waived on September 17, and re-signed to the practice squad.

### Dallas Cowboys

On October 1, 2024, Henry was signed by the Dallas Cowboys off the Bengals practice squad. He was acquired to provide depth after defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence was placed on the injured reserve list. He was declared inactive in Week 5 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He recorded one sack and 3 tackles in the 9–47 loss against the Detroit Lions. He was declared inactive for the games in Week 9, Week 10 and Week 11. He was waived on November 23. He appeared in 2 games as a backup, playing mainly on special teams during his time with the team and was released after defensive end Marshawn Kneeland was activated from injured reserve.

### Philadelphia Eagles

On November 26, 2024, Henry was signed to the Philadelphia Eagles' practice squad. He won a Super Bowl championship when the Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 40–22 in Super Bowl LIX. He signed a reserve/future contract on February 14, 2025.