When the Cincinnati Bengals signed Trey Hendrickson from the New Orleans Saints before the 2021 season, it felt like an under-the-radar signing. Considering he was a player who was quiet for his first three seasons and only had one season of starting under his belt at the time, his four-year, $60 million deal felt like a risk. Now, three seasons later, it’s obvious the contract was worth every penny. And now, for the fourth year in a row, Hendrickson was selected as one of the elites in the NFL Top 100.
Trey Hendrickson Lands at 77 on the 2024 NFL Top 100
That’s 4 straight for Trey 😤
Stream #NFLTop100 on NFL+ pic.twitter.com/tS0ajmZ4Eh
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) July 24, 2024
This is the fourth consecutive season that Hendrickson landed on the NFL Top 100:
- 2021: 73 (DE6)
- 2022: 78 (DE9)
- 2023: 75 (DE6)
- 2024: 77 (will update when full list is known)
77th does seem a tad low.
Last year, Hendrickson was one of the best in the NFL. For the third year in a row – that is to say, every year in Cincinnati – he was voted to the Pro Bowl. He set career bests with 43 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, and 17.5 sacks. It was his third year in a row that he finished with three forced fumbles and added three pass breakups and 25 QB hits.
How many players finished with more than 17.5 sacks in 2023? One. T.J. Watt (19.0). And they play two different positions. Only five players ended up with at least 15 sacks. How many of them will end up ranked ahead of Hendrickson?
What The Experts Say
With each selection, NFL.com provides a snippet for the players in their slots. For Hendrickson, they said:
Hendrickson has become a familiar face on the Top 100 list since joining the Bengals in 2021, and he makes his third straight appearance after a career year. In 17 games played, he had a career high in sacks (17.5), tackles (28) and tackles for loss (16). Hendrickson has been the centerpiece of consistency in the Bengals’ defense, and he capped off his best season with his third consecutive Pro Bowl selection.
Pro Football Network sees Hendrickson a bit differently. There, he’s 44th:
The 29-year-old Hendrickson has appeared on the NFL Network’s Top 100 list in each of the last three seasons, but he’s never been higher than 75. Based on that, having Hendrickson at No. 44 on PFN’s list might appear to some as though he’s over-ranked.
However, he isn’t. Hendrickson has earned every bit of that of that leap. And yet he still might be miffed by it, given that he’s the seventh edge rusher on the list behind Myles Garrett (No. 2), Micah Parsons (No. 4), T.J. Watt (No. 8), Maxx Crosby (No. 9), Nick Bosa (No. 13), and Aidan Hutchinson (No. 22).
Since his breakout season in 2020, Hendrickson ranks third in sacks (53). In 2023 alone, he was tied with Joshua Hines-Allen for second (17.5), while ranking 11th in pressures (79).
Per Pro Football Focus, Hendrickson was third in pressure percentage (11.2), ranking ahead of all 10 edge rushers who have a higher annual average salary than his $21 million.
Hendrickson, who PFN recently ranked as the best free agent signing in Bengals history, has two years left on his contract after agreeing to a one-year extension last July.
The Bengals beefed up their interior pass rush this offseason, signing veteran Sheldon Rankins to a two-year deal in addition to drafting Kris Jenkins in the second round.
That additional push up the middle could steal some of Hendrickson’s sacks, or it could force quarterbacks into his waiting arms.
Before we find out how that plays out, it will be interesting to see where Hendrickson lands on the NFL Network list later this summer after coming in at No. 73 in 2021, No. 78 in 2022, and No. 75 last year.
His No. 44 ranking by PFN is much closer to his true value, even if his contract isn’t.
Maybe PFN is on to something.
Hendrickson signed a one-year extension before last year, making him under contract through the 2025 season. This offseason, he requested a trade. After talking with the front office, he rescinded the request and is all-in with the Bengals for the next two seasons.
Main Image: Kareem Elgazzar-USA TODAY Sports
