It’s safe to say Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson probably isn’t getting the respect he deserves for his downright wild start to the 2023 season.
Through six games, Hendrickson already has seven sacks, which puts him tied for second in the league. That’s pretty wild — fans know how great he was last season, yet he had eight sacks over 15 games in 2022. So far, he’s pacing more toward that 14 he hit in 16 games in 2021.
Making this all the more impressive is the fact Hendrickson simply doesn’t have much in the way of help. Besides those memorable drives late in Week 6, guys like Sam Hubbard and Joseph Ossai have had slow starts to the season.
Hendrickson’s pass-rush grade so far at Pro Football Focus ranks him among the game’s elite like Myles Garrett, Nick Bosa and T.J. Watt, to name a few:
PFF Pass Rush Grade among edge defenders
(Factors in speed of wins, win rate, finishing plays, forced fumbles, drawing penalties, and more)Myles Garrett 93.6
Nick Bosa 92.3
Trey Hendrickson 90.9
T.J. Watt 90.9
Micah Parsons 90.8
Maxx Crosby 90.7
Aidan Hutchinson 90.0— Steve Palazzolo (@PFF_Steve) October 16, 2023
It’s safe to say that the Bengals were in the right to get Hendrickson that extension this past summer.
