Zac Taylor is sparking more questions than answers speaking on Trey Hendrickson’s injury status
Trey Hendrickson is doubtful once again for the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Cincinnati Bengals’ defense is trending in the right direction. The unit was considered the worst in the last 48 years of NFL history through 10 weeks of football according to DVOA. In their last three games, they’re hovering around league average in most important statistics and even boast the 12th-best rushing success rate allowed in that span.
Trey Hendrickson returning could give them an even bigger boost, but that doesn’t seem to be happening any time soon.
Hendrickson has been out since aggravating his hip injury back in Week 8. The original injury was suffered in Week 6 and forced him to miss Week 7. He’s been out for the last four full games, and there’s been zero signs of progress regarding a potential return. He hasn’t practiced since he last played.
Any updates on Hendrickson are provided by head coach Zac Taylor, and Taylor’s messaging on the subject is not exactly promising.
Zac Taylor remains oddly blunt about Trey Hendrickson
Hendrickson hasn’t been heard from by reporters in nearly a month. The 30-year old defensive end has been busy rehabbing his injury and away from practices.
He’s also been declared doubtful immediately the past couple of weeks by Taylor before practice even begins. That was the case again Monday afternoon as Cincinnati starts preparation for Week 14’s matchup against the Buffalo Bills.
“He’s doubtful this week,” Taylor told reporters during his weekly Monday presser. “We’ll see where he ends up next week.”
Taylor has remained very consistent with what he’s said about Hendrickson to the point where it doesn’t appear like there’s been any progress made with the injury. He’s on track to miss his fifth consecutive game, and yet he wasn’t placed on the Reserve/Injured list before or right after this streak began.
That decision would’ve been reached if the team and trainers believed his injury was likely to sideline him for as many weeks as he’s been sidelined. For him to be out this long while still on the active roster naturally sparks questions.
Has the injury gotten worse, or is he just not making the progress he needs to make?
Hendrickson signed an adjusted one-year contract right before the regular season began that is paying him $29 million, after holding out the entire offseason for a long-term deal. He played the first six games and registered four sacks, and came back for Week 8 while he wasn’t 100% healthy.
Taylor continuously offering the same ambiguous update on Hendrickson suggests there could be more to this story than we know.
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