Trey Hendrickson proving to be critical piece of Bengals pass rush

While Cincinnati doesn't know who will be starting at quarterback for the Jets, Hendrickson’s availability will have a significant impact on the Bengals’ defensive plan for this weekend.

Hendrickson, who led the NFL in sacks in 2024, has four sacks in six games this season. He pressures the quarterback on 12.7% of his snaps, which ranks 21st in the NFL. The Bengals’ next two most productive pass rushers, Ossai and rookie Shemar Stewart, pressure the quarterback on 11.5% and 10.9% of their snaps and have two sacks between the two of them this season.

Hendrickson is the central figure in the Bengals’ efforts to create a pass rush.

“He plays with a chip on his shoulder,” defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery said. “He’s very passionate about the game. It’s important to him. That’s what drives him. He has always had a chip on his shoulder, and he plays with that. He works like that. If he makes the littlest mistakes, it bothers him. That’s good. When those things are important to you, you drive home thinking about how you can get better. That’s him every day.”

Playing without Hendrickson, Cincinnati's defensive line didn’t record a single sack in last week's 33-31 victory over Pittsburgh. The Bengals had two total hits on Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who completed 67.6% of his passes.

Leading up to the game, defensive coordinator Al Golden said Stewart would get notable playing time in his return from an ankle injury. Stewart was injured in Week 2 and returned five weeks later to face the Steelers.

While Stewart was on the field on seven of the first eight plays of the game against Pittsburgh, he went on to play just 22 total snaps out of the 57 snaps for the Bengals’ defense. Defensive ends Myles Murphy, Cam Sample and Ossai played notable roles down the stretch of that game.

“It was a lot to ask of him,” Golden said. “Third down, the base package, the nickel package, all of that without having really practiced a lot in the last five weeks. To me, this is a restart for him. He’ll learn a lot here, and then I expect him to make a lot of growth here.”

Murphy replaced Hendrickson in the starting lineup against the Steelers. Murphy, a first-round pick in the 2023 draft, has seven pressures and 1 1/2 sacks this season.

It will be key for Murphy to take the next step during the second half of the season.

“It’s about getting in the playbook and knowing what’s going on,” Murphy said. “Knowing what your job is. Knowing what their major tendencies are so you can have some type of key. Having a knack for the ball, the snap count and get off and go.”

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