Trey Hendrickson still among the best at what he does

Intense. That one word sums up Cincinnati Bengals’ defensive end Trey Hendrickson.

“The first thing you have to mention when you talk about Trey is his intensity,” Bengals defensive line coach Marion Hobby said. “He’s an intense football player. He’s intense in the meeting rooms, and he’s intense on the field. And on game day, he tries to take it up to another level.”

And that trait is as true today as it was the first day he joined the Bengals’ on March 19, 2021. Not even a “bad stinger” suffered in a week 7 win over the Atlanta Falcons could change that.

A stinger is the nickname given to a common nerve injury of the neck and shoulder frequently encountered in football. It often occurs during tackling, when the tackler get his shoulder forced one way while his head and neck the other. If it doesn’t sound pleasant, it isn’t.

Through it all, Hendrickson remains one of the top pass rushers in the league. According to ESPN/NFL Next Gen stats, Trey Hendrickson is currently third in the NFL in pass rush win rate, trailing only Micah Parsons of Dallas and and Cleveland’s Myles Garrett.

Pro Football Focus (PFF) credits Hendrickson with 13 solo tackles and four assists, to go along with four sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. In addition, Hendrickson has forced 17 quarterback hurries, has recorded 10 quarterback hits, and is among the league leaders with 32 pressures. As a result, the seventh-year pro has earned an overall grade of 85.8 from PFF, which includes a pass rush grade of 89.5.

Under the PFF system, a grade of 90-100 is considered elite, with a grade of 85-89 considered to be Pro Bowl caliber.

One area where Hendrickson struggles is in his run defense, where he is considered “replaceable” with a grade of 57.7. And he has yet to record an interception, although he has been close.

Fortunately, Hendrickson’s intensity does not carry over to the locker room. In the second quarter of the blowout win over the Panthers this past Sunday, Hendrickson dropped a sure interception. After the game, running back Joe Mixon rewarded him with a Butterfinger candy bar. Check out the video here.

Hendrickson’s intensity on the field is contagious.

“It’s not all about what Trey (himself) has done for us,” Cincinnati safety Jessie Bates III said. “He helps out other guys around the defense.”

Fellow defensive end Sam Hubbard is right behind Hendrickson with 3.5 sacks, and is tied for 5th among defensive ends with 23 solo tackles. He also has 10 solo tackles (tied for 3rd) and a forced fumble. Hubbard has recorded 14 hurries, 11 quarterback hits and 30 pressures and has earned an overall grade of 73.0 from PFF, which includes a run defense grade of 73.9.

So, if you were concerned about Hendrickson’s production because of the number of sacks he has recorded so far this season, don’t be. He continues to be one of the top defensive ends in the league and a boon to the Bengals, in and out of the locker room.