The Ravens signed Trey Hendrickson—after balking on Maxx Crosby—to help them solve one lingering and crippling problem. For years, Baltimore has struggled, both offensively and defensively, to close out games. While the offense hasn’t always helped the cause, though, it’s been the defense blowing fourth-quarter leads.
In fact, statistically, nobody has done it more than the Ravens. Over the past five seasons, they have blown 16 leads in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter. The good news is, virtually nobody has more fourth-quarter sacks than Trey Henrickson’s 26.5 in the same span of time.
“I think winning on defense and getting the ball back to your quarterback is something that I’m motivated to do”, Hendrickson told reporters, via ESPN, about his “closer” instinct. “I want the other 10 guys to count on me. If we’re in a place and it’s a pinch, you got to have gas in the tank and you got to be able to push when everybody else doesn’t want to”.
Coming off a down season due to injury, Hendrickson recorded 35 sacks combined in 2023 and 2024. He made first-team All-Pro for the first time in 2024, as well as his fourth straight Pro Bowl. But injuries severely hampered both his availability and his play last year, logging just seven games and 4 sacks.
The Steelers’ regular-season loss to the Bengals in the 2024 finale illustrates Trey Hendrickson’s impact on the game. After Pittsburgh cut the lead to 19-14, Hendrickson recorded a sack on 2nd and 9 from the Bengals’ 29 that forced the Steelers to settle for a field goal. On the final drive, on 2nd and 7, he recorded another sack that helped end the game.
Hendrickson recorded 3.5 sacks in that game, though, of course, the Steelers almost entirely neutralized him in the previous game that season. But his resume speaks for itself, and at this point, it’s mostly a question of what he has left in the tank.
In Trey Hendrickson, the Ravens are getting a 31-year-old pass rusher coming off an injury-plagued season. Will they still see elite play from their high-profile signing, something they desperately need? Baltimore mustered just 30 sacks as a team last season. While that statistic alone doesn’t tell the story, it sure gives a good indication of their issues.
“It’s gritty football, and it’s the type of football I like to play”, Hendrickson said of going to the Ravens. “Winning games is the most exciting thing about being here in the Ravens building. There’s a standard of winning here that’s unmatched across the league”.
The Ravens, of course, have a new coaching staff because they fired John Harbaugh after going 8-9 and missing the playoffs. But really, they weren’t far away. And they think a piece on defense like Trey Hendrickson—and a healthy Lamar Jackson—can close the gap. That’s why you bring in a closer, after all.
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