Former Bengals Week 9 check-in: Trey Hendrickson is in a fiery crucible with Ravens

The Cincinnati Bengals overhauled their defense in particular this offseason. Well, unless you count the linebacker spot. In all seriousness, the most notable move was to build the defensive line around Dexter Lawrence rather than Trey Hendrickson.

My oh my is that coming up aces. To be fair, extenuating circumstances are at play, but it was obvious when the Bengals whacked the Ravens 35-13 in Baltimore that Hendrickson made the wrong call.

The Ravens were unfortunately in action again in prime time on Thursday night. And I say "unfortunately" because it was appalling footage of alleged American football nobody should ever be forced to view. Gonna need them Clockwork Orange optical peelers to get me to peep that all-22.

Bengals couldn't have made out much better by moving off Hendrickson

With both Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley out at quarterback, Baltimore had to turn to Joe Fagnano to kick off Week 9 against the Jaguars. It went about as well as you would expect in a 33-10 loss.

What's more, Trey Hendrickson was a non-factor all evening. He registered zero pressures and only got 16 pass rush snaps. The Ravens are really in a weird spot with Jackson's future up in the air and a four-year, $112 million contract committed to Trey through 2029.

I was very much advocating for the Bengals to pay Hendrickson what he wanted and keep him, because they demonstrated zero willingness to address his position from outside the building prior to this past offseason. Good thing they pivoted and got more aggressive. Boye Mafe has been a boss, and Sexy Dexy is the freaking man.

FanSided's own Jason La Canfora had a fun take on the Trey-in-Baltimore situation, which is proving to be a nightmare for all parties involved.

Facing the Falcons' Jessie Bates in Madrid is a rough reminder of Bengals' lingering flaw

Think I've said enough on Jessie Bates over the course of writing on this here site. The comp pick Cincinnati got in exchange for him walking in free agency after the 2022 season was McKinnley Jackson, who didn't make it past final roster cuts this year.

That's the mere tip of the iceberg. Bates has publicly confirmed he wonders what could've been had he stayed a Bengal. Me too, man.

Bates enters the huge game in Madrid versus Cincinnati as PFF's No. 4-rated safety. He's so darn good. Uncanny instincts. Exceptional leadership. Everything you look for in a player.

Meanwhile in Cincy, Jordan Battle continues to be a roller coaster, and free-agent signee Bryan Cook has been inconsistent. Feels like he's playing through a nagging ankle injury and just trying to do his best. Kind of a bummer.

Yes, the Bengals had to pay Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins eventually back when Bates was poised to exit, but he could've fit under the cap with some crafty maneuvering. Where there's a will, there's a way. The Bengals didn't have the will back then. Maybe Jessie can come back once he hits the open market this offseason.

Akeem Davis-Gaither quietly solid in Indy amid Colts' collapse

Even if ex-Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is having an awful go of it in Indianapolis, at least his former Cincinnati pupil, Akeem Davis-Gaither, is doing him proud.

ADG would easily be the best linebacker in Cincy right now over Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr. and anyone else Al Golden wants to toss out there. Heck, would it be such a bad idea to trade for Davis-Gaither? Doesn't feel like an outlandish notion.

See here's the thing. Davis-Gaither has only missed 6.9% of his tackle attempts and is tied for 11th among all linebackers with 25 stops by PFF's count. He also yields a somewhat respectable sub-100 passer rating in coverage.

Not many silver linings to take solace in if you're a Colts fan. The way ADG is performing is some source of comfort. And hey, we'll take him back if you're selling (and won't give us Jonathan Taylor!!

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