The Bengals have gone four games in a row without star defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who’s dealing with a hip/pelvis injury, and a return does not appear imminent. Hendrickson is “doubtful” to face the Bills on Sunday, head coach Zac Taylor said (via Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer). Taylor doesn’t seem sure if Hendrickson will return this season.
“We’ll just keep taking it week to week,” Taylor said.
After back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons, Hendrickson and the Bengals engaged in a lengthy contract standoff that dragged deep into the summer. The Bengals ultimately revised Hendrickson’s deal in August, giving him a $14MM raise for 2025. The pending free agent is earning $30MM this season, though the Bengals haven’t gotten enough bang for their buck as a result of his injury issues.
Hendrickson has played in seven games, none since Oct. 26, and totaled four sacks. He drew interest leading up to the Nov. 4 trade deadline, but nobody was willing to meet the Bengals’ asking price of a second-round pick. With Hendrickson still out a month later, his post-deadline contributions have been nonexistent.
Having gone without Hendrickson for a significant period, the Bengals rank 30th in the league in sacks, 31st in total defense, and dead last in points per game allowed. To its credit, the unit complemented quarterback Joe Burrow‘s long-awaited return from IR with a strong performance in a 32-14 win over the AFC North rival Ravens on Thanksgiving.
Upsetting the Ravens on the road boosted the Bengals’ chances of a miraculous playoff run, but there’s likely no room for error. At 4-8, they’re two games behind the Ravens and Steelers in the division. Another loss would guarantee a sub-.500 season, which could close the door on a playoff spot, and continuing to go without Hendrickson won’t help matters.
Set to turn 31 on Dec. 5, Hendrickson’s injury woes aren’t doing him any favors with an offseason trip to the open market looming. The Bengals may prevent Hendrickson from reaching free agency via the franchise tag, which would mean giving him another pay bump. He’d cost around $35MM in that scenario.
Deciding Hendrickson’s future will be among the Bengals’ pressing offseason tasks. In the meantime, it appears they’ll have to continue trying to keep their faint playoff hopes alive without him.
Should have traded him. Bengals were too greedy in trade value.
Nobody was offering more than the comp pick they’d receive if he walks
Comp picks are no guarantee and come at the end of the round. They could have assured the pick and reduced their cap in a lost season.
Glad the Niners didn’t trade for him. This would have been the icing on the cake for them.
I’m glad the Birds got Phillips instead. Even with this injury, there’s no defending how he was treated by that cheap-as-a-Times-Square Rolex team in Cincy.
Bengals have given him $94M in cash over 5 seasons. Boy, such awful treatment
As a Steelers fan, I don’t get it. The Bengals have the best QB in the NFL and the best receiving tandem. Why not pay this guy and build a defense around him? A lot more upside to the Bengals than anyone else in the AFC North, but the front office has to try, at least
Well if they pay the guy they’d have to build a defense around him with UDFAs because their cap allowance would be maxed out.
Then they need to get creative and restructure while getting rid of deadwood. Burrow is the Paul Skenes of the NFL these days
Bengals have made a Super Bowl and another AFCCG with Burrow and have a winning record with him. This isn’t Skenes and the Pirates
Yep. You’re right. I should have said “recently”