Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson recorded 17.5 sacks this season, taking the sack crown for the 2024 campaign. And he did so without much help elsewhere. Joseph Ossai finished second with five sacks, followed by defensive tackles B.J. Hill and Kris Jenkins with three each.
Finding someone to complement Hendrickson is a must this offseason with Sam Hubbard (two sacks in 2024) a potential cut candidate this offseason. That complement could come via the draft and that’s just what ESPN’s Jordan Reid did in his first mock since the regular season ended.
At No. 17, the Bengals go with James Pearce, edge, Tennessee. Pearce may not be near the top of the draft as some had projected him before the season, but he can still be a menace in getting after the quarterback. Pearce finished with 7.5 sacks this season and 19 for his three-year career with the Vols, including 17 in the last two seasons.
“The Bengals registered a sack on only 5.5% of dropbacks by opposing QBs this season (the sixth-worst rate in the NFL) despite the presence of NFL sack leader Trey Hendrickson,” wrote Reid. “The 6-5, 243-pound Pearce is a lean, ultra-quick pass rusher who can race around blockers with ease. His 18.7% pressure rate ranked second in the FBS, resulting in 7.5 sacks. He could be the complementary pass rusher Cincinnati desperately needs.”
Cincinnati’s 36 sacks this season were tied for 7th-lowest in the league with the Indianapolis Colts. Hendrickson boosted that number, posting almost half of the team’s sacks. The silver lining is just five more sacks would have put them in the top half of the league. Grabbing a fast and athletic pass-rusher like Pearce would help boost the Bengals back among the better teams at getting to the quarterback, especially in a division where they see Lamar Jackson twice a year and going into a season where the Bengals see quarterbacks such as Jared Goff, Kyler Murray, Josh Allen and Jordan Love, to name a few.
