Pundit Says Trey Hendrickson Is Best Pass Rusher Ravens Have Ever Had
Trey Hendrickson has been one of the top pass rushers in the NFL for the better part of his nine-year career, which is why the Ravens landing him is widely regarded as the best free-agency acquisition of the offseason.
Is it possible that Baltimore's signing of Hendrickson should be getting even more praise? Ravens in 5’s Gordon McGuinness believes so, and he makes a compelling case.
"It can be season-defining, and there are three stats that prove why," McGuinness said. "Stat No. 1 is pass rush win rate. Trey Hendrickson has produced a 20% or better pass rush win rate in each of the past three seasons. The Ravens have never had an edge defender produce 20% or better. Stat No. 2: In his last full season in 2024, Hendrickson produced 83 total pressures. The last Ravens edge rusher to hit 83 total pressures was Terrell Suggs in 2010, and he needed an extra 142 pass rushing snaps to hit the same total that Hendrickson HIT. Stat No. 3: Hendrickson has earned a 90.3 or better PFF pass rush grade in each of the past three seasons. The Ravens haven't had an edge defender hit 90.0 since Elvis Dumervil in 2013.
"Simply put, I think Trey Hendrickson is the best edge defender the Ravens have ever had from a pass rushing perspective. … We may be about to see the best season we have ever seen from a Ravens edge defender. And for a team that has lacked a closer on defense, particularly in the playoffs in recent years, that's something that could be absolutely huge when it comes to defining their season in January and potentially February."
Beyond the impressive statistics, Hendrickson also brings intangible qualities, as noted by Head Coach Jesse Minter.
"He's coming into a new situation, new defense, new terminology. Just to watch his process of how he learns, how he needs to know what he needs to know and also know what everybody else is doing," Minter said at OTAs last week. "He's an unbelievable leader in the edge room. He's helping really bring those young guys along as well."