Cincinnati Bengals: 4 breakout candidates in Week 1 vs. Vikings

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (85) works with wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) one on one between plays during a training camp practice at the Paul Brown stadium practice facility in downtown Cincinnati on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021.Cincinnati Bengals Training Camp /

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Trey Hendrickson (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Bengals’ breakout candidates – Trey Hendrickson

Right off the bat is the Bengal with probably the most favorable matchup in Week 1. Trey Hendrickson is licking his chops ahead of the season-opener after Minnesota announced they will be starting the former undrafted free agent Rashod Hill at left tackle.

Hill has mostly been a reserve throughout his career and just doesn’t have much experience. Meanwhile, Hendrickson was a dominant edge-rushing force last season with 13.5 sacks. Hendrickson also plays well defending the run. For Minnesota, Hill will obviously have a big challenge against Hendrickson.

Hendrickson should be able to take advantage of the matchup. If he is not dominant, it might be because the Vikings decided to double team Hendrickson at times. That would still be a win for Cincinnati, as Sam Hubbard, D.J. Reader, and Larry Ogunjobi are all good in their own right. Mainly consistent one-on-ones for both Hubbard and Reader will probably not be good for the Vikings either.

This all starts with Hendrickson, he can, and honestly should be, a dominant force Sunday afternoon against Minnesota.

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