The Cincinnati Bengals could've probably rolled into Week 8 without superstar defensive end Trey Hendrickson, and given him another game of rest.
Yes, the pass rush is a tire fire when Hendrickson isn't on the field. However, rookie first-round pick Shemar Stewart was starting, and it's not like the New York Jets have some potent passing attack quarterbacked by the likes of Justin Fields.
Whatever competitive advantage there was to be gained by playing Hendrickson, who was questionable throughout the week of practice, backfired in a big way on Sunday.
Dirty hit by Jets guard John Simpson aggravates Trey Hendrickson hip injury, and could doom Bengals' season
ON their official X/Twitter account, the Bengals announced Hendrickson was out for the rest of Week 8 with a hip injury.
It seemed to be a rather routine play that Hendrickson aggravated his ailing hip on. He was trying to turn the corner around Jets left tackle Olu Fashanu (h/t WCPO's Caleb Noe), only to come up lame and in obvious, severe pain.
New York guard John Simpson laid Hendrickson out after Fields had let the ball go on a pass attempt. Although you could tell Simpson felt a tad bad about it as he looked on concerned, it doesn't change the fact that it was a cheap shot.
Again, the Jets are a 0-7 football team. While Cincinnati was fighting human nature to avoid a trap game or a letdown against such an inferior opponent, the decision to suit up Hendrickson looks terrible in hindsight.
I wouldn't be so mad at the minute if this was the first time something like this transpired during the 2025 season. It isn't.
Rookie third-round pick Dylan Fairchild is back in the lineup at left guard as of Sunday, but not long ago, when the Bengals were getting the brakes beat off them by the Detroit Lions, Zac Taylor and the medical staff saw it fit to keep Fairchild on the field in garbage time. The dude could barely move. His lack of mobility contributed to Jake Browning taking a huge hit on a safety.
How is it that Cincinnati keeps dropping the ball when it comes to their players' health? Isn't it enough that Joe Burrow is down yet again with another basically season-ending injury?
Maybe this is prisoner of the momentism, but what a frustrating thing to see Hendrickson hobble off the Paycor Stadium turf. It's almost like the front office could've done better to supplement the Bengals' pass rush so that Hendrickson wasn't so heavily relied upon, and thus pressed back into duty before he was fully ready.
Prayers up for Trey. Looks like he'll need them.