The Cincinnati Bengals will be in the market for plenty of pass-rush help this offseason. Trey Hendrickson was a star during the 2024 season, winning the sack title with 17.5. Unfortunately, he didn’t have much help outside of that. The rest of the team combined for 18.5 sacks as the Bengals’ 36 total sacks were tied for 25th in the league. Joseph Ossai was the only other Bengal with at least five sacks and only five players had multiple sacks.
One player that could be a potential fit in the middle of the draft is Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer. Sawyer helped make his mark this past season at Ohio State and really put a stamp during the College Football Playoff semifinal against Texas in the Cotton Bowl with his scoop-and-score to seal the 28-14 win, sending the Buckeyes to Monday’s National Championship Game against Notre Dame.
Sawyer is already being tabbed by some as a potential option in the draft for the Bengals.
Brendan Howe of Sportskeeda wrote this about the Bengals needing pass rush and possibly grabbing Sawyer: “ Outside of Trey Hendrickson, the Bengals don’t have much in terms of pass rushers. Hendrickson led the NFL with 17.5 sacks this season. He has one year left on his deal in Cincinnati, and it’s not a certainty the historically frugal franchise will reward him with a new contract. The Bengals might want to prepare for a future without Hendrickson, and adding Jack Sawyer would help bolster their pass rush.”
There’s also a comparison to the Bengals’ Sam Hubbard for Sawyer, from Matt Holder of Bleacher Report.
While Bengals fans may not necessarily want another Sam Hubbard, Sawyer still provides good size and physicality on the edge and would, in a sense, replace Hubbard, who could be a cap casualty this offseason.
