After three seasons of no postseason appearances, the coming offseason for the Cincinnati Bengals is one of the biggest in franchise history. There is so much work to be done, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Fans aren’t getting meaningful change to the coaching staff or front office, so the only change they can expect are on-field personnel changes.
Many analysts predict the Bengals will use their franchise tag on 32-year-old All Pro pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, but one insider says that’s not going to be the case.
“An interesting name being floated is Trey Hendrickson,” wrote CBS Sports’ Jonathon Jones. “He’s coming off an injury-filled 2025 entering his age-32 season. While the Bengals retained the right to tag him after protracted talks last offseason, sources deem it unlikely Cincinnati allocates that much money to the position given all of its other defensive needs.”
Hendrickson is coming off a season full of injuries, but he would be the most sought after free agents in the league should he hit the market. If that does happen, he would get more than the one-year, $34.8 million from the Bengals’ tag. He’d likely get the multi-year deal he’s wanted.
If this is true, the Bengals, who also risk losing Joseph Ossai in free agency, would be asking an awful lot from Myles Murphy and Shemar Stewart. Murphy started to flash as he got more playing time in 2025, but Stewart had next to zero NFL experience and would be doing some heavy lifting.
If the Bengals go to free agency to find Hendrickson’s replacement, I wish them luck. They’re not going to find a better pass rusher to sign for a single year. They could trade for one possibly, but that’s never been their way.
There is a silver lining. That frees up $35 million to go get someone, or multiple someones, to fill in holes on both sides of the ball before the draft. If they can do that, hopefully the pass rushing will take care of itself.
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