Ravens HC Gets Blunt About Trey Hendrickson After Bengals Exit

The Cincinnati Bengals lost veteran pass rusher Trey Hendrickson in free agency, but he stayed in the AFC North by signing with the Baltimore Ravens. As a result, Hendrickson will now be looking to chase down his former teammate, Bengals QB Joe Burrow, this upcoming 2026 NFL season.

With the Bengals opting to let Hendrickson walk, the Ravens swooped in to keep him in the division, and Baltimore head coach Jesse Minter is more than glad with Cincinnati’s decision.

“Trey is a closer. I mean, he’s a guy that has the second-most sacks in the fourth quarter of games since 2021,” Minter said (h/t NFL.com). “That’s an area where we want to improve and want to finish out games when we have the lead. We’ve had more leads in the fourth quarter than any team in the last five years. So, getting a guy like that will help our pass rush, help the defensive backs, rushing coverage work together.

“So, when you add a primary premium pass rusher, it makes everybody else’s job on the defense easier at times. He’s gonna draw a lot of attention. I think our pass rush in general is gonna be a lot better, because other people may have more one-on-one opportunities. And then the DBs, you know, when you don’t have to cover as long, it makes life easier. We couldn’t be more excited to add Trey.”

Trey Hendrickson Looks for Bounce Back Season

Hendrickson posted an 82.9 overall PFF defensive grade in 2025, ranking 13th among 115 qualified edge defenders. Moreover, the former Bengals star recorded a pass-rush grade of 90.0, ranked 6th among 115 qualified edge defenders. His run-defense grade of 56.8 ranked 90th at the position.

Nonetheless, it was a challenging 2025 campaign for Hendrickson as his season was cut short after having core muscle surgery. He would play only 285 snaps, generating 23 total pressures, four sacks, 14 hurries, five hits, and forcing one fumble. Against the run, the veteran only recorded nine solo tackles.

It will be interesting to see whether the Bengals made the right decision in moving on from Hendrickson, or whether the pass rusher will come back to haunt his former team, given they’ll see him twice this 2026 season.

Trey Hendrickson Doesn’t Hold Back on Bengals’ Joe Burrow

Recently, Hendrickson appeared on the March 26 edition of “The Set” and didn’t hold back his thoughts on Burrow and the team’s offense.

“We did not make the Super Bowl, and I was able to make one in Cincinnati. So it was special to go there and win a lot of meaningful games and watch Joe Burrow. I was in the league watching him in New Orleans come up and win the national championship, then playing with him and watching him as a competitor. You knew he was destined for special things and still is.

“Over the last four years, I’ve been so motivated to continue to push myself to be the best I can be to help Cincinnati win games. It was a great chapter in my life, something I’m going to remember forever, and I made wonderful friends over the years. It’s been fun to come into my own there and leave my stamp on Cincinnati forever.”

Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo