‘He’s absolutely dying to be out on that field’ — Trey Hendrickson’s status for TNF gets insightful update from NFL insider
Hendrickson is officially questionable to play, but his desire is clear.
Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson is officially questionable to play against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but there’s real doubt the 2024 All-Pro will be able to go.
“My understanding is despite the fact that he is really pushing to play, he’s considered a bit of a long shot,” NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport said Thursday morning. “It’s just such a quick turnaround from Sunday to Thursday. I’m not saying he’s got no chance, it’s not a great chance, but if you know Trey Hendrickson well, he’s absolutely dying to be out on that field, so we’ll see.”
Hendrickson, who suffered his hip injury last Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, hasn’t missed a game since the 2022 season. If he can’t push through to play, Cincinnati will have to adjust accordingly without its true difference-maker on defense.
How the Bengals can operate without Trey Hendrickson
The four other DEs on the roster are Myles Murphy, Joseph Ossai, Cam Sample, and Shemar Stewart. Murphy would likely get the start for Hendrickson with Ossai continuing to start on the other end of the defensive line.
Stewart has missed the last four games with an ankle injury but is set to make his return Thursday night. The 17th pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft registered three pressures and caused a decent bit of chaos in his first-ever regular season game in Week 1, but missed a good chunk of his second game due to his injury.
Defensive coordinator Al Golden told reporters this week he expects Stewart to play a lot, which could’ve been foreshadowing Hendrickson’s cloudy status. Stewart may not start, but he could end up with more snaps played than Murphy and Ossai if the game script sees the Steelers passing the ball more than expected.
Sample will see a healthy amount of snaps as a rotational player. He’s played at least 20 snaps in each of the last four weeks, and that should remain the case if Hendrickson is out.
Hendrickson could also end up being active, but only play selective snaps in situations where he’s absolutely needed. It all depends on how his hip responds during the lead-up to kickoff.
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