The Seattle Seahawks already have a talented defense that’s on the rise.
But could they add a superstar to push the unit over the top?
How DeMarcus Lawrence is already making impact with Seahawks
With Cincinnati Bengals star defensive end Trey Hendrickson’s contract situation still unresolved, Mike Salk revisited the idea of trading for the four-time Pro Bowler during a conversation with NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah on Wednesday’s edition of Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.
In particular, Salk asked Jeremiah if he’d be willing to trade a second-round draft pick and a fifth-round pick for the 30-year-old Hendrickson.
“I know you’ve got to pay him a bunch of money, but heck yeah, man,” Jeremiah said. “I’d be in the business of trying to collect great players. (The Seahawks have) a fast defense. They’ve got a very talented defense. But man, you throw in a guy like that who’s gonna get off the bus and get you 12 to 15 sacks because he’s such a good, natural, instinctive pass rusher? And you’re in a division where you’ve gotta go hunt Matthew Stafford?
“Yeah, 100%, I would try and be in on that.”
‘I think he would be that guy’
Hendrickson, who finished second in the AP Defensive Player of the Year voting last season, is coming off back-to-back 17.5-sack campaigns. His 35 sacks over the past two years are 4.5 more than any other player in the NFL. He also had 13.5 sacks with the New Orleans Saints in 2020 and 14 sacks with the Bengals in 2021, giving him 13-plus sacks in four of the past five years.
Hendrickson received permission to seek a trade back in March and said last month that he won’t play for the Bengals this fall unless he receives a new contract.
The Seahawks have a bright outlook on defense, with nearly every key contributor returning from a group that evolved into a top-five unit in the NFL over the second half of last season. And they already have a strong pass-rushing rotation that includes Leonard Williams, Uchenna Nwosu, Boye Mafe, Derick Hall and veteran free agent addition DeMarcus Lawrence.
But Jeremiah said Hendrickson would give Seattle a bona fide game-wrecker that’d constantly draw extra attention from opposing offenses.
“They’re a good defense now,” Jeremiah said. “They’re a fast defense and they’re athletic and they’ve added some more young pieces. But when you get down to it, when you get to third-and-7 and you’re looking at this front, you go, OK, man, there’s a lot of really good players there. But I don’t know that I’m looking at that group saying, OK, this is 100% where I’ve got to direct extra attention.
“And I think he would be that guy.”
3.5 sacks tonight. 17.5 sacks on the season.
Trey Hendrickson was a BEAST for the @Bengals 💪 pic.twitter.com/Ul2vloeM85
— NFL (@NFL) January 5, 2025
How long can he remain elite?
Brock Huard then followed up by asking Jeremiah whether he thinks Hendrickson can sustain his elite level of play for another two to three seasons.
“I think so,” Jeremiah said, pointing to the fact that Hendrickson is less reliant on speed than other star pass rushers. “If you’re a speed-dependent rusher, I think there’s a tendency you can kind of fall off a cliff. … When that’s kind of your main bag and that goes away, you’re kind of not left with a whole lot.
“(But) this dude is a technician. He’s not even just a power-based rusher or a speed rusher. He does everything well, but he just has an instinct and a feel and a knack. And those guys, I think that prolongs their run a little bit, provided he stays healthy. He just knows how to rush.”
Listen to the full conversation with NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
Seattle Seahawks news and analysis
• 5 takeaways from Seattle Seahawks’ OTA and minicamp practices
• Rost: Why interview with Seattle Seahawks WR Cooper Kupp went viral
• Wyman: How Seattle Seahawks’ new offense puts stress on linebackers
• Don’t be surprised if RB is Seattle Seahawks’ best-ranked position group
• Wyman: How Seattle Seahawks practices differ under Macdonald