While Trey Hendrickson reported to Bengals training camp, he admitted that “things are exactly the same” in his contract dispute. Mind you, the veteran pass rusher is in the building and on the field, but he is not practicing. He has brought his holdout in-house, now orchestrating a hold-in while seeking a new deal.
As least one veteran Bengals beat writer predicts they will make something happen with Hendrickson. It won’t be what either side wants, no doubt, but he believes there is enough incentive going both ways to ensure they do what is necessary to prevent a distraction that has an impact on the season.
Because Cincinnati knows that’s exactly what happened last year. Rather than Trey Hendrickson, the Bengals had a standoff with Ja’Marr Chase. Although he finished first in every major statistical receiving category, he and the offense lacked cohesion early. Their struggles to cohere contributed to their 1-3 start to the season. Even with a 5-0 run to finish the season, they missed the playoffs.
In other words, they wasted a year of Joe Burrow’s career, and neither he nor the team wants that again. The defense also played a major role in the Bengals underachieving, so they certainly can’t afford to be without Hendrickson. If you think their defense is bad with him, imagine how much worse it would be without him.
Trey Hendrickson led not just the Bengals but the NFL in sacks last season. He has more sacks than anyone in the NFL over the past two years, and is a first-team All-Pro. But he is on the older side, and the Bengals don’t want to pay him guarantees beyond the first year of a contract. The Steelers made something happen with T.J. Watt, though, and the Browns with Myles Garrett.
While Hendrickson sought permission from the Bengals to seek a trade, Garrett did, too, and the Browns still signed him. Granted, we are now in training camp and still talking about it. Despite Hendrickson’s pessimistic tone, however, they’re likely not far from a middle ground.
Unlike the Steelers, the Bengals won’t trade Trey Hendrickson just because he wants a trade. They see the window they are in to win a Super Bowl, and they know Hendrickson is a part of that. Hendrickson also sees he is between a rock and a hard place. At some point, he will likely sign their last best offer and hit the field.
“It sure feels like too many pieces are in place for this not to get done…eventually”, Paul Dehner Jr. wrote. “If it doesn’t, every side involved will be worse for it”. Hendrickson’s is not the first standoff he has seen the Bengals make, and it won’t be the last. But he has a pretty good sense of how this one will end.
