CINCINNATI — The 49ers could be eyeing defensive end help amidst a season-ending injury to star edge rusher Nick Bosa, and The San Francisco Standard’s Tim Kawakami thinks they could go after Trey Hendrickson in a trade to replace him.

The season might slip away quickly for Cincinnati, which currently holds -295 consensus betting odds to miss the playoffs following a disastrous past 10 days of injuries and offensive ineptitude. ESPN’s Football Power Index does not have them favored to win a game until the Dec. 21 matchup against Miami.

Dealing Hendrickson now could be a way to get valuable draft capital immediately instead of doing the franchise tag dance again or waiting for compensation picks down the line. Kawakami laid out the deal he’d make below between the two teams, including the Bengals possibly landing three premium picks for the soon-to-be 31-year-old:

• 2026 first- and third-round picks and a 2027 second-rounder if Hendrickson plays 60% or more of the 49ers’ remaining defensive snaps this season and the 49ers get to the playoffs and he re-signs with the 49ers.

(Remember, if all this happens, the 49ers would have had a very good season, and they’d have both Hendrickson and Bosa ready to go for 2026. Not bad. To me, that’d easily be worth surrendering those picks.)

• Which would be lowered to just a first-rounder if Hendrickson plays 60%-plus of the snaps and the 49ers get to the playoffs, but Hendrickson doesn’t re-sign with the 49ers.

(A first-round pick for getting to the playoffs, but not keeping Hendrickson? Not ideal, but not devastating for the 49ers, knowing they took their best shot this season and would have Bosa coming back.)

• Which would be lowered again to just a second-rounder if Hendrickson doesn’t play 60% of the snaps or the 49ers fail to make the playoffs and Hendrickson doesn’t re-sign.

(It all falls apart, and the 49ers give up no more than a second-rounder? That’s not the way they’d want it to work, but that’s not much to risk for the opportunity to go for it this season.)

An interesting framework from Kawakami that could spark movement for Cincinnati, which is currently fielding the least-efficient offense in the NFL and has gotten wildly lucky even to start 2-1.

It would be shocking to see this deal happen soon, but a couple more brutal weeks would make it more than reasonable to start fielding calls for Hendrickson.