How Many Left Tackles Will Bengals Defensive End Trey Hendrickson Get Benched This Season?

CINCINNATI – The race is on.

Through two games this season, Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson has recorded two sacks.

He’s also gotten two left tackles benched.

Which number will be higher by the end of the year?

Bengals Edge Rusher Trey Hendrickson Has Feasted on Rookies, and Here Comes Another

Pro Football Focus has Hendrickson tied for fourth in total pressures and second in pass-rush win rate (29.2%), trailing only the Detroit Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson (41.2%).

In Sunday’s 26-25 loss at Kansas City, Hendrickson had two sacks on six pressures while also drawing a key holding call and an illegal-hands-to-the-face flag that put the Kansas City Chiefs in a fourth-and-16 situation in the final minute.

“That’s Trey. He’s an impact player for us,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said. “He’s been that way every time we’ve played against (the Chiefs). In our big games, Trey steps up.”

“Even when he’s not making contact with the quarterback, you feel it,” Taylor added. “So that’s always in their head – ‘we’ve got to help over there.’ He’s going to impact the game.”

And opposing depth charts.

Kansas City benched rookie left tackle Kingsley Suamataia early in the fourth quarter after Hendrickson recorded his second sack of Patrick Mahomes and forced a punt with the Bengals leading by two.

“Kingsley was going against arguably one of the best defensive ends in the league,” Kansas City head coach Andy Reid said of the benching. “I ended up taking him out of the game. Sometimes you have to take a step back to take a step forward.”

Here are both of Trey Hendrickson’s sacks going up against Kingsley Suamataia yesterday. #Chiefs pic.twitter.com/jgK7bEv8yF

— Nick Jacobs (@Jacobs71) September 16, 2024

In Week 1 against the New England Patriots, left tackle Chuka Okorafor lasted just 12 snaps against Hendrickson before coach Jerod Mayo benched him.

Monday, New England placed Okorafor on the Exempt/Left Squad list as he is considering retirement.

Hendrickson also had six pressures against the Patriots but was unable to finish any of them for sacks the way he did against Suamataia and the Chiefs.

“The overall rush lanes were way better than the week before,” Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said. “(Mahomes) felt the pocket collapsing and either threw it away or did what he had to do with it. Last week, we kind of gave escape lanes. When you do that, you’re getting that push inside, and Trey’s able to beat the guy, and sometimes he just beats the guy, and it didn’t matter what the inside guys did yesterday. I think it was a good combination of rush and coverage working together for sure.”

The Bengals are decimated on the interior of the defensive line, with starters B.J. Hill and Sheldon Rankins each leaving Sunday’s game with hamstring injuries and rookies Kris Jenkins (thumb) and McKinnley Jackson (knee) yet to make their debuts.

Without Hendrickson, it’s hard to imagine where this defensive line – and the defense as a whole – would be.

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Hendrickson set a career-high with 17.5 sacks last year and said he feels great about his start to the season.

But he also knows the overall picture needs to be touched up.

“There’s a lot to be excited about, and there’s a lot to fix,” he said. “We’re 0-2. This is a win-loss league. Unfortunately, that’s the way it is. We have a lot to build on, a lot to get better about, and we look forward to doing that next week.”

The player whose job security could be in peril next week is another rookie. The Washington Commanders are starting third-round pick Brandon Coleman, whom PFF ranks 69th among 71 qualifying offensive tackles in pass blocking.

Yesterday was the sixth time Trey Hendrickson has faced a rookie left tackle since joining the #Bengals.
His numbers in those 6 games:
28 pressures
6 sacks
17 hurries
7 QB hits

Next up? Washington rookie left tackle Brandon Coleman.

— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) September 16, 2024

Suamataia was the sixth rookie left tackle Hendrickson has faced since joining the Bengals in 2021.

In those six games, he has 28 pressures, six sacks, 17 hurries, and seven quarterback hits.

Coleman and Washington rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels will be focused on Hendrickson throughout Monday night’s Ring of Honor game.

Defensive end Joseph Ossai said Monday night could serve as foreshadowing.

“He’s a beast. He won’t be stopped. He’s one of the role models and one of the captains we all look up to,” he said of Hendrickson. “One of these days, he’s definitely going to have his name up there in that stadium.”