Trey Hendrickson is proving he is worth every penny the Bengals paid him

When the Cincinnati Bengals signed Trey Hendrickson this offseason to fill the lost void of Carl Lawson, some were skeptical of the price the Bengals paid for him.

Even though he was coming off a 13.5 sack year with the New Orleans Saints, many thought it was a smokescreen type of season and that he wouldn’t be able to produce at that level again. Nevertheless, the Bengals still signed Hendrickson to a four-year contract worth $60 million.

However, it seems he’s producing at the level again. Maybe even more so than with New Orleans.

Hendrickson has been the catalyst for the Bengals defensive front and has made his presence known in every game so far through the first six weeks. His ability to rush the passer and recognize where a play is going before it happens has been tremendous in the run defense this year for the Bengals. The defensive line feeds off of each other, and they’ve shown that so far.

Trey Hendrickson has had 5.5 sacks, 34 pressures, and 11 QB hits through six games with the Bengals at defensive end. It’s also important to note that he is usually matched up against the best opposing offense lineman on most teams, making these stats even more impressive.

His current PFF grade is a 67.3, which I feel is a little low, but a 67.3 is still an above-average and positive grade, and he remains one of the higher ones on the roster and the defensive side of the ball.

With the Baltimore Ravens this week, Hendrickson will have his most significant challenge all season and the rest of the defense trying to maintain Lamar Jackson and that dynamic Ravens offense.

Jackson is an elite passer, let’s get that off the record first, but he also has running back ability with his speed, athleticism, and shiftiness which can make him tear apart front sevens if you don’t put a spy on him and keep him contained in the pocket. Which Cincinnati has struggled to do in the past. But everyone including Hendrickson knows how big of a game this is Sunday on the road.

Trey Hendrickson definitely worthy of large contract Bengals signed him to

The fifth-year pass rusher is proving every single week why he has earned every single penny the Bengals have paid him. He has been a pivotal piece to the puzzle for the defense and has played consistent yet dominant football which has led to a highly improved Cincinnati defense.

The Bengals have already matched their sack total from last season just through this early part of the year. And it’s not all Hendrickson.

Sam Hubbard, B.J. Hill, Larry Ogunjobi, and D.J. Reader have all played their role in the success upfront, but Hendrickson has proven to be a massive pickup for the Bengals. He may fly under the radar around the NFL as an elite pass rusher, but over these past two seasons, there’s no question he should be put in that category.