Joe is confident the reigning NFL sacks leader could help the Bucs’ edge rush.
That man is Trey Hendrickson of the Bengals. And if you think he got lucky with 17 1/2 sacks in 2023, well, Hendrickson did it again last season.
Today, per NFL.com and other outlets, the Bengals granted Hendrickson permission to seek a trade.
Joe sure hopes the Bucs are on Hendrickson’s list, and that Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht is eager to take a phone call.
Would Hendrickson want to play for the Bucs? He’s from Orlando, grew up in Apopka and went to Florida Atlantic. Considering the Dolphins have a stable of edge rushers and the Jaguars have a young, double-digit edge rusher (back-to-back seasons), the Bucs sure seem like Hendrickson’s best Florida fit.
And if he wants to play for a contender that has a beastly inside pass rush to complement him, the Bucs make a lot of sense.
Hendrickson is set to earn $16 million this year, the final season of his contract. He turns 31 in December and is looking for a fatter deal.
Hendrickson is a ferocious beast. There’s no spinning the film. He even threw in a whopping 36 quarterback hits and 6 passes defensed last season.
How badly do the Bucs want a stud edge rusher that likely could be had for a first-round draft pick or less?
It seems Joe and fellow fans are about to find out.