On Monday, the NFL’s unofficial start to the year kicked off with the defacto “legal tampering period.” Over the first 12 hours of unofficial free agency, the Cincinnati Bengals made a few moves. All in all, it was a good start. However, it showed even more that the Bengals free agency haul must include a Trey Hendrickson extension.
There were a few trades that shook up the day. But, in between Twitter outages, there was no news of a Hendrickson trade. The team allowed Hendrickson’s camp to test out the market to see what other teams were willing to give him in the form of an extension, allowing them to match. His agent told the Bengals that they could fetch a first-round pick, but to this point, no such trade has revealed itself. Of course, it’s incredibly early in the 2025 offseason, but it’s starting to look like both the Bengals and Hendrickson would do best to resolve this saga with a reunion.
First Day of Bengals Free Agency Showed Hendrickson Must Be Extended
Last year, the Bengals’ defense was as soft as any in recent memory. And that was with First-Team All-Pro, second-place Defensive Player of the Year, 17.5-sack Trey Hendrickson. The Bengals, outside of Hendrickson, managed a grand total of 18.5 sacks. One player contributed nearly half of all sacks.
Take him away, and the Bengals can kiss the likelihood of returning to playoffs goodbye. Joe Burrow played at an MVP level and had his campaign hamstrung by the Bengals’ inability to win big games, thanks to the defense. Al Golden may be a great defensive coordinator but losing Hendrickson would make his job infinitely harder.
Odds are, no draft pick would be able to come in and replicate Hendrickson’s production. Even if they managed to get a first-round pick in the trade and drafted both Mike Green and James Pearce Jr., since Abdul Carter is out of the question. Realistically, Carter may be the only EDGE with that day-one impact to even make a Hendrickson trade worth it.
Add in the fact that none of the external free agents headed to Cincinnati are pass rushers, and a future without Hendrickson is bleak. B.J. Hill is a depth piece on the interior. Joseph Ossai is depth at EDGE. New Bengal TJ Slaton is a run stuffer and will give the team nothing on passing downs. There is no pass-rushing juice on the Bengals if they trade Hendrickson away.
Would It Be Worth It?
Let’s say the Bengals manage to trade Hendrickson away. To start, the only teams likely willing to part with their first-round picks are playoff teams. If it’s not a playoff team, an early-to-mid-second-round pick is likely. There is not likely going to be a pass-rusher on the board on either the Bengals pick 17 or the one they get in a trade that makes up for the loss.
There’s a possibility that there is. However, do you trust the team to make the right decision and draft the right player?
The last 10 first-round selections by the Bengals were Amarius Mims, Myles Murphy, Daxton Hill, Ja’Marr Chase, Joe Burrow, Jonah Williams, Billy Price, John Ross, William Jackson III, and Cedric Ogbuehi. The two top-five picks were home runs. Williams was solid but not signed to a second contract. The team has no idea what to do with Hill. Murphy hasn’t shown that he is worth that first-round pedigree just yet, although it’s early. Mims is good but still a bit raw.
It’s possible that the Bengals use a pick on a guy like Pearce, who many draft experts are dropping on their boards due to character concerns. He’s a solid prospect. However, there are concerns, like how he performed in Tennessee’s biggest game of the year against an NFL-bound player out of position. If he is drafted to complement Hendrickson, fine. If he is drafted to replace Hendrickson, there may be an issue.
The Bengals’ approach to scouting is archaic. Their scouting department is the smallest in the NFL. Have they earned the trust of the fanbase when it comes to drafting well?
Extending Hendrickson is the right move. If the team drafted as well as the Kansas City Chiefs or Philadelphia Eagles, it would make sense to cast as wide of a net as possible in the draft. Considering it doesn’t, it makes more sense to secure the players they know are good (hint hint nudge nudge). Last year’s sack king will not come cheap but realistically, what leverage do the Bengals have? Sure, he’s under contract for 2025, but that defense goes from bad to Kent State-level atrocious.
Just pay the man.
The post First Day of Bengals Free Agency Showed Hendrickson Must Be Extended appeared first on Last Word on Pro Football.