{"id":107142,"date":"2021-03-16T12:25:01","date_gmt":"2021-03-16T16:25:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=107142"},"modified":"2021-03-16T18:33:32","modified_gmt":"2021-03-16T22:33:32","slug":"trey-hendrickson-impact-cincinnati-bengals-defense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2021\/03\/16\/trey-hendrickson-impact-cincinnati-bengals-defense\/","title":{"rendered":"Trey Hendrickson Signing Brings Immediate Impact To Cincinnati Bengals Defense"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the first day of free agency, Trey Hendrickson<\/a> and the Cincinnati Bengals<\/a> agreed to a four-year contract. The deal, reported<\/a> by Tom Pelisaro, is set to be a four-year, $60 million agreement. Hendrickson, last year\u2019s third-ranking sack leader<\/a>, brings his finishing talents to a needy pass-rush unit<\/a>. While the Trey Hendrickson signing has an impact in Cincinnati, more roster questions linger. While signing the young edge-rusher is a big start, the Bengals still have more work to do in free agency. Regardless, Hendrickson brings excitement to a decomposing defensive group.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With Trey Hendrickson Signing, Cincinnati Bengals Defensive Renovation Continues<\/span><\/h2>\n

Before signing with the Bengals this off-season, Hendrickson spent his first four seasons with the New Orleans Saints<\/a>. He now joins former teammate Vonn Bell<\/a>, who singed with the Bengals during the prior off-season, in Cincinnati. One of last year\u2019s breakout players<\/a>, Trey Hendrickson adds immediate production to a rocky Cincinnati defensive group. The team finished with just 17 sacks during the 2020 season, the worst total in the NFL. Hendrickson led the way for the Saints, who had 45 sacks a season ago, eighth-best<\/a> in the league. He finished tied for second with Aaron Donald<\/a> with 13.5 sacks, just 1.5 behind T.J. Watt<\/a>. In 2020, he finished 26th among edge rushers in ESPN\u2019s pass rush win rate statistic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While the Hendrickson signing brought some excitement to Cincinnati, it does come following a tough loss. Carl Lawson<\/a> agreed to leave<\/a> the Bengals for the New York Jets<\/a>, inking a three-year, $45 million pact. When Hendrickson was initially rumored to have interest in Cincinnati, the pairing of his finishing ability and Lawson\u2019s pressure rate made a lot of sense. Instead, Cincinnati now has the task of finding players to compliment Hendrickson. Regardless, Hendrickson became one of the largest average-annual value signings in franchise history and he is expected to play a major role in their defense.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Can Hendrickson Continue His Elite Production Without Elite Help?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Certainly, the Bengals still have more work to do in free agency; they probably need to add some insurance to their investment. Hendrickson was the product of playing alongside some elite defensive players in New Orleans. While the Bengals do have Jessie Bates<\/a> III, they probably need to add some more elite talent on that side of the ball. There simply isn\u2019t a Cameron Jordan<\/a> to pair with Hendrickson in Cincinnati.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Trey Hendrickson took his game to the next level in his first season with a play time above 50%.<\/p>\n

Hendrickson set a career-high in pressure rate (16.3%) on high volume (326 pass rushes), and generated the highest sack rate (4.1%) in a season since 2016 (min. 300 pass rushes). https:\/\/t.co\/N5MX8GSxO7<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/1y1oKMjdpn<\/a><\/p>\n

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) March 16, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n