{"id":41767,"date":"2026-01-16T12:43:45","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T12:43:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=41767"},"modified":"2026-01-16T12:43:45","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T12:43:45","slug":"breaking-bengals-predicted-to-add-top-pass-rusher-amid-trey-hendrickson-uncertainty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=41767","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING : Bengals Predicted to Add Top Pass Rusher Amid Trey Hendrickson Uncertainty"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2234367511-e1768533899200.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2234367511-e1768533899200.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2234367511-e1768533899200.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2234367511-e1768533899200.jpg?quality=35&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"Bengals Predicted to Add Top Pass Rusher Amid Trey Hendrickson Uncertainty\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Cincinnati Bengals had their worst season since 2020 as they finished with a 6-11 record. The final few minutes of the Bengals season encapsulated everything that went wrong with the team. The offense took the lead with less than two minutes remaining, but the defense failed to hold the lead as the Cleveland Browns drove down the field to kick the game-winning field goal.<\/p>\n<p>Cincinnati\u2019s defense finished 30th in the NFL with 28.9 points per game allowed. Despite the defensive struggles, head coach Zac Taylor announced that the Bengals were not making changes to their coaching staff. There had been speculation regarding defensive coordinator Al Golden\u2019s job security , but the Bengals opted to retain the former college head coach.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><b>Trey Hendrickson Uncertainty<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>One of the primary reasons the Cincinnati Bengals struggled was the absence of All-Pro pass rusher Trey Hendrickson. After back-to-back seasons with 17.5 sacks, Hendrickson took a step back in 2025 as he played in only seven games as he missed most of the season after undergoing core muscle surgery.<\/p>\n<p>It seems increasingly unlikely that Hendrickson returns to Cincinnati, since he\u2019s set to be a free agent after the season. Following the season, general manager Duke Tobin met with the media and answered questions regarding Hendrickson\u2019s future with the team. He said, \u201cI don\u2019t know what the future holds for Trey. Those are discussions that we\u2019re going to have to have ongoing. He\u2019s one of a number of free agents that we have that we\u2019ll have to decide how we\u2019re going to go forward with. But pass rush is king, and you always need to be layering in pass rushers. It can develop from within your team, and I think we\u2019ve seen some of that start to develop from within our team. And then I think we need to find some from external sources, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately for Bengals fans, Tobin\u2019s comments and the reporting has not indicated that a reunion is likely. One of the reporters who cast doubt on the reunion was ESPN\u2019s Jeremy Fowler. He wrote, \u201cThis relationship has run its course. The Bengals have the option to franchise tag Hendrickson, but after a year of contentious contract negotiations, the edge rusher appears poised to land elsewhere and capitalize on a booming positional market.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After four years with the Bengals, Hendrickson totaled 61 sacks as he made the Pro Bowl four times.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><b>Cincinnati Bengals Projected to Add Top Pass Rusher<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Fortunately for the Bengals, they now possess the No. 10 selection in the upcoming NFL Draft. The Bengals have not selected in the top-10 since the 2021 season, when they drafted Ja\u2019Marr Chase with the fifth overall pick. A new mock draft by The Athletic\u2019s Dane Brugler has Cincinnati selecting pass rusher Rueben Bain out of the University of Miami. Brugler wrote, \u201cAt this early juncture, defensive line is the overwhelming favorite to be the Bengals\u2019 pick.<\/p>\n<p>Because of his \u201ctweener\u201d skills and lack of length, Bain is one of the more polarizing prospects in this class. Even if he falls short in a few areas, however, he is a stout run defender with the relentless power as a pass rusher to kick down the door to the pocket.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bain has been one of the top defenders in college football. In the 2025 season, he was named the ACC Defensive Player of The Year as he totaled 12 sacks. His contributions on defense have been one of the primary reasons the Miami Hurricanes have made it to the National Championship. Replacing Hendrickson would be a tough task, but Bain seems to possess the skillset necessary to provide a much-needed boost to the Bengals defense.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Cincinnati Bengals had their worst season since 2020 as they finished with a 6-11 record. The final few minutes of the Bengals season encapsulated everything that went wrong with the team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":41768,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cincinnati-bengals"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>BREAKING : Bengals Predicted to Add Top Pass Rusher Amid Trey Hendrickson Uncertainty - Breaking News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=41767\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING : Bengals Predicted to Add Top Pass Rusher Amid Trey Hendrickson Uncertainty - Breaking News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Cincinnati Bengals had their worst season since 2020 as they finished with a 6-11 record. 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