The Cincinnati Bengals may not know the status of top DE Trey Hendrickson when they take on the Pittsburgh Steelers two weeks from now. While it appears Hendrickson has avoided a serious and long-term injury, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Hendrickson hyperextended his knee in Sunday’s loss to the Houston Texans.
It’s not clear how much time Hendrickson could miss, if any, due to the injury. For the Bengals, the sooner he returns, the better. Cincinnati’s best source of pass rush production, Hendrickson has 8.5 sacks through the team’s first nine games. It surpasses the eight that he had across 15 games for the team all of last season. He is far and away the team’s leader in sacks and tackles for loss while tied for second in QB hits.
A quality free agent signing in 2021 from the New Orleans Saints, he has 30.5 sacks through 2.5 years with the Bengals. In last year’s regular-season rematch against the Steelers, Hendrickson notched two sacks and had four QB hits in a 37-30 Bengals victory.
As of now, it’s not clear when Hendrickson will return and if he’ll be limited in any way once he does. In Week 12, Pittsburgh will travel to Cincinnati for their first 2023 matchup in what will be a huge AFC North contest. At 6-3, the Steelers sit at second place in the division while the Bengals are 5-4 after suffering a bitter loss to the Texans yesterday. Still, it’s a wide-open race and if the Bengals are without Hendrickson, it’ll be a big advantage for Pittsburgh.
