The Bengals’ defense was their downfall last season. It may be again this season as Cincinnati approves DE Trey Hendrickson’s trade request.
Cincinnati was awful on defense last year, to say the least. A prime example was a stretch of games where they scored 30-plus points and still lost. Three of those four games came in Cincinnati, with two coming against the Ravens. That is something they must address.
Letting go of the NFL sack leader is not the way to do it. Last season, the defense was 25th in the league in sacks with 36. Of course, 17.5 of those were coming courtesy of Trey Hendrickson. The Bengals were also 25th in yards allowed per game and points against per game, averaging 348.3 and 25.5, respectively.
Cincinnati wants to free up cap space with this trade. Receivers Jamarr Chase and Tee Higgins are due for extensions. The Bengals certainly didn’t need to give up Hendrickson, though.
This massive mistake by the Bengals will make their lousy defense even worse. Also, leaving their defense is fan-favorite Sam Hubbard. He announced his retirement at age 29 earlier this week.
Cincinnati’s decision to extend their star offensive players is baffling. Unless they are going to make big moves in the draft, this was unnecessary. Understandably, they want to expand their offense. The issue is that their offense isn’t the problem; it is their defense.
Now they will lose their best defensive player and NFL sack leader. It will be interesting to see where Hendrickson goes, as he will surely be a coveted name.
The Chargers just released their star pass rusher, Joey Bosa, so they certainly could use Hendrickson as a replacement. Another team looking to add a pass rusher is the Chicago Bears.
Their new defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen, has spent time with Hendrickson in New Orleans, which makes him a strong option.
The Bears need someone to go opposite Montez Sweat to make their defensive line more formidable.
Hopefully, the Bengals will get a lot back for Hendrickson. Only time will tell if they can use what they get back effectively and make up for letting Hendrickson request a trade. The news of Bengals star DL man requesting a trade comes not long after the Raiders signed their star pass rusher, Maxx Crosby, to a three-year $106.5 million deal.
The Bengals have the 17th pick in the upcoming 2025 NFL draft. Cincinnati will likely select a defensive player with this pick. However, they could trade up to get a top-10 pick if they believe a better defensive player is available. Some options that have been mentioned are Michigan CB Will Johnson, DT Kenneth Grant, and Ole Miss DL Walter Nolen.
They also have a pick in the following five rounds, which gives them an opportunity to fix their awful defense. The Bengals may also be getting more picks in the Hendrickson trade.
With that remaining to be seen, it can be assumed that they at least get a third-round pick or better. Cincinnati has a substantial upcoming draft that could set them back or put them ahead. Will they get their defense fixed after accepting the trade of Hendrickson?
The Bengals will likely have another long year on the defensive side of the ball. Hendrickson is on his way out, leaving the rest of the defense in disarray. They need to have a strong defensive draft to be considered a contender.
If you love sports, download Stadium Rant from the Apple App Store and join one of the fastest-growing social sports communities. Be sure to follow us on socials too — you can find all our profiles on our Linktree.
