All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson has emerged as a preferred name in trade talks following an offseason contract saga with the Bengals and their subsequent 2-4 begin to the season.
The 49ers are among the many teams fascinated with trading for Hendrickson, though Cincinnati is reportedly not fascinated with moving him. Other expected suitors include the Colts, Eagles, and Cowboys, per Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline. Hendrickson is owed $9.8MM for the remainder of the season if traded after Week 8 ($8.9MM if after Week 9, per OverTheCap), and the Bengals will likely want an acquiring team to select up all of his remaining salary.
We noted when the Colts restructured Kenny Moore‘s contract earlier this month that general manager Chris Ballard could possibly be clearing space for an enormous swing ahead of the trade deadline to reap the benefits of a surprising 5-1 start. Going after Hendrickson, one in every of the league’s premier edge rushers, would definitely fall into that category. Indianapolis doesn’t necessarily need the pass rush help – their 16 sacks are tied for seventh-most within the NFL – but no individual player has greater than 3.0 sacks. As an alternative, they’ve 11 defenders who’ve contributed to a sack this 12 months; adding Hendrickson to that group would give them an elite individual sack-getter on top of a well-schemed pass rush.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has a popularity of being a big-name hunter on the trade market, but most of his higher-profile deals have come in the course of the offseason. Nevertheless, Philadelphia has a bottom-10 pass rush with only nine sacks as a team and no player with greater than two. Nolan Smith and Ogbo Okoronkwo are already on injured reserve, and Za’Darius Smith just retired, so the Eagles defense could definitely use reinforcements on the sting. Roseman’s aggressive cap management has given the team enough room to soak up’s Hendrickson’s contract, though it might tighten their budget for the remainder of the season.
The Cowboys pass rush has predictably struggled following the departures of Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, resulting in one in every of the worst defensive units within the NFL. Jerry Jones recently hinted that he could possibly be energetic ahead of the trade deadline, and he acknowledge that each asset can be on the table, including the picks acquired from Green Bay within the Parsons trade. The Cowboys could definitely use a player of Hendrickson’s caliber, as they currently have the ninth-fewest sacks within the NFL (11).
We heard recently that the 49ers see Hendrickson as “a perfect fit for his or her defense.” The team lost star pass rusher Nick Bosa to a season-ending ACL tear in Week 3, and 49ers general manager John Lynch has made it known that he’s searching for assistance on the sting. That front office hasn’t been afraid to take in-season swings, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the team acquired a player of Hendrickson’s talent as they give the impression of being to maximise their current core.
As mentioned, the Bengals have resisted any trade inquires for his or her star pass rusher. Nevertheless, if the team doesn’t improve because the trade deadline inches closer, there’s a likelihood the team starts fielding offers.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.