The Eagles would like to have another dynamic player on their roster, such as disgruntled Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson. Although he is a very good player, do not expect him to be in an Eagles uniform next season.
Appearing on 97.5 The Fanatic’s “Kincade and Salciunas” on Wednesday, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter said the likelihood of Hendrickson wearing an Eagles uniform was slim to none.
“I would say no,” Schefter said. “I don’t think that’s practical. Sometimes you find opportunities that surface and you’re like ‘let’s squeeze here and if we squeeze there, we get this done.’ Knowing what I know from the past conversations with various people at various points in the offseason, I would say, no, I don’t see something like that happening.”
Hendrickson was a first-team All-Pro last season and finished second in The Associated Press’ Defensive Player of the Year voting after recording 17.5 sacks, 46 tackles and two forced fumbles. He and the Bengals have been entangled in a contentious contract extension battle after the team gave wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins lucrative deals last season. Hendrickson, 31, was given permission to seek a trade, but a deal has not been completed. Hendrickson has sat out all of the team’s offseason workouts.
The Eagles lost defensive end Josh Sweat, who signed with the Arizona Cardinals in free agency this offseason. Defensive end Brandon Graham, who was playing as one of their best edge rushers early in the season before a triceps injury forced him to miss the second half of the season before returning for Super Bowl LIX, decided to retire. The Eagles also traded Bryce Huff to the San Francisco 49ers for a conditional 2026 draft pick after he struggled to live up to his three-year, $51.1 million deal in 2024.
Linebackers Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt are expected to see a significant increase in playing time next year after getting pressure on quarterbacks late last season. The team also signed Azeez Ojulari and Josh Uche to one-year deals in free agency this year, but there are questions surrounding them.
The Eagles have the draft capital to make a trade to acquire Hendrickson, with the team projected to have 13 selections next season, five of which are in the first three rounds. However, as Schefter pointed out, the Eagles are angling to save money to give extensions to younger players, with Smith, defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis, and safety Reed Blankenship in line to earn raises.
“I think they know all the big deals they have coming up, and I think their priority is to pay their own people, their homegrown talent, and reward it over time,” Schefter said. “If you go trade for a player like Trey Hendrickson and pay him upwards of $30-plus million a year, that really is disruptive to everything going on. Trey Hendrickson’s an incredible player, but I just don’t see a move like that in the cards.”
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Chris Franklin may be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com.