Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals
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(Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
The Cincinnati Bengals lost Trey Hendrickson in free agency as the veteran pass rusher decided to stay in the AFC North and sign with the Baltimore Ravens.
Nonetheless, from the Bengals’ perspective, they have to replace Hendrickson’s impact on their defense.Hendrickson posted an overall PFF defensive grade of 82.9 in 2025, ranking 13th among 115 qualified edge defenders.
Moreover, the former Bengals star recorded a pass-rush grade of 90.0, ranked 6th among 115 qualified edge defenders. His run-defense grade of 56.8 ranked 90th at the position.
Nonetheless, it was a challenging 2025 campaign for Hendrickson as his season was cut short after having core muscle surgery. He would play only 285 snaps, generating 23 total pressures, four sacks, 14 hurries, five hits, and forcing one fumble. Against the run, the veteran only recorded nine solo tackles.
With this now gone from Cincinnati, FanSided’s Justin Carter floated the name of Zion Young as someone the Bengals should look to draft in the second round to replace Hendrickson.
“With Hendrickson gone from a defense that already had plenty of holes, the Bengals are going to need some guys to step up,”Carter wrote in his April 11 article. “Specifically, 2025 first-round pick Shemar Stewart has to prove he was worth that investment.
“But adding another edge rusher in the draft should be a priority as well. I wouldn’t go there at Pick No. 10 because defensive back is an even bigger concern, but when the Bengals are on the clock at Pick No. 41, taking the best available edge rusher seems like a good idea, and Missouri’s Zion Young might be that guy.”
Why Bengals Should Be Considering Zion Young
Moreover, Carter noted why Young would be the ideal player for the Bengals to target this upcoming 2026 NFL Draft to replace Hendrickson.
“Young is built to be an NFL edge rusher as far as his physical build goes, though he has to work on getting off the line faster to ensure he can get into the backfield and get to the quarterback,” Carter added.
Ravens HC Doesn’t Hold Back on Signing Trey Hendrickson
With the Bengals opting to let Hendrickson walk, the Ravens swooped in to keep him in the division, and Baltimore head coach Jesse Minter is more than glad with Cincinnati’s decision.
“Trey is a closer. I mean, he’s a guy that has the second-most sacks in the fourth quarter of games since 2021,” Minter said (h/tNFL.com). “That’s an area where we want to improve and want to finish out games when we have the lead. We’ve had more leads in the fourth quarter than any team in the last five years. So, getting a guy like that will help our pass rush, help the defensive backs,rushing coverage work together.
“So, when you add a primary premium pass rusher, it makes everybody else’s job on the defense easier at times. He’s gonna draw a lot of attention. I think our pass rush in general is gonna be a lot better, because other people may have more one-on-one opportunities. And then the DBs, you know, when you don’t have to cover as long, it makes life easier. We couldn’t be more excited to add Trey.”