Most underappreciated Bengal: Trey Hendrickson

[chrisball96]

(10-10-2023, 04:49 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: You know how it goes around here, casual fans only appreciate the offensive weapons.  In fact there were several on here whining around about how the team giving Trey his much deserved contract extension was taking money away from a potential Tee Higgins contract.  Thus far this season, Hendrickson has certainly proven that he was worth every penny of that extra money.

In this league marquee pass rushers are an absolute must-sign. I love Tee but Hendrickson is absolutely essential to this team with who they will have to face for years to come (Hurts, Mahomes, Allen) and he should most certainly be locked up and paid what he deserves. 

As to why he's not more appreciated league-wide, I do think that he's just not that flashy of a guy. I wonder if Parsons, Bosa, Watt, etc. get a ton of press because they were drafted high and had all the hype coming out of college but with Trey being a third round pick, there wasn't as much hype. 

But it is a weird phenomenon all around I will grant you that. 

[NATI BENGALS]

I think a contract extension shows appreciation.

Which we just gave him a few months ago..?

https://www.bengals.com/news/trey-hendrickson-extension-2025-season

I think the perceived knock is a good thing though. It happens because we have a lot of really good players on D that get attention.

It's obvious when he isn't out there though. He is an impact player and our pass rush is not the same without him. Which is why I think we gladly took Murphy and his sky high ceiling in the 1st.

[No-huddle Joe]

Is it just me, or maybe my Bengal bias, but it seems like every play where you see him get in the backfield quickly, he is being held, sometimes around his darn neck and no holding is ever called? Deserves every dime he gets.

[Sled21]

(10-10-2023, 06:52 PM)Go Cards Wrote: Would take Trey over Dumblap every day of the week, but Geno is a different story. Would have been nice to have Geno and Trey in their prime side by side.

Anyway, the Bengals hit the absolute jackpot when signing Hendrickson, super high motor guy on pass plays. Gets washed out at times on run plays, still got to love him though.

Remember when posters here were saying Hendrickson's success was only due to the line he played on in NO???

[Sled21]

(10-10-2023, 10:16 PM)sandwedge Wrote: I wouldn't say Hendricks is better than Hubbard at DE. To me it's a wash, depends what you want. Hubbard is the better run stopper, better tackler, doesn't over pursue. Hendricks is better at pass rushing.

They are basically a perfect complement to each other. Hubbard will get some hate now and again here for not having high sack numbers, but someone has to be the hammer and someone has to be the anvil. 

[Sled21]

(10-10-2023, 11:11 PM)chrisball96 Wrote: In this league marquee pass rushers are an absolute must-sign. I love Tee but Hendrickson is absolutely essential to this team with who they will have to face for years to come (Hurts, Mahomes, Allen) and he should most certainly be locked up and paid what he deserves. 

As to why he's not more appreciated league-wide, I do think that he's just not that flashy of a guy. I wonder if Parsons, Bosa, Watt, etc. get a ton of press because they were drafted high and had all the hype coming out of college but with Trey being a third round pick, there wasn't as much hype. 

But it is a weird phenomenon all around I will grant you that. 

Dallas, San Fran and Pissburgh. Much bigger fanbases with more people watching. With the Bengals getting more national coverage, players like Reader and Hendrickson will get more press. 

[Truck_1_0_1_]

(10-11-2023, 06:52 AM)No-huddle Joe Wrote: Is it just me, or maybe my Bengal bias, but it seems like every play where you see him get in the backfield quickly, he is being held, sometimes around his darn neck and no holding is ever called? Deserves every dime he gets.

If it's a rip, then the OL is allowed to get them by the neck, but I've definitely observed Trey ripping A LOT less this year, compared to last year: he's winning with speed and hand placement this year, instead of actual moves.

EDIT* and Hendrickson is no way in hell underappreciated, be it on the boards or in everyday life.

[*ochocincos*]

(10-10-2023, 10:16 PM)sandwedge Wrote: I wouldn't say Hendricks is better than Hubbard at DE. To me it's a wash, depends what you want. Hubbard is the better run stopper, better tackler, doesn't over pursue. Hendricks is better at pass rushing.

FWIW, when I said, "Hendrickson is undoubtedly the better of the two," I meant between him and Lawson.

[BoomerFan]

Agreed. And he has been on fire this year especially.

[*ochocincos*]

BJ Hill is also quietly on pace to have a good year sack-wise.

He's currently at 2.5 sacks, which is a pace of 8-9 sacks by season's end.
If Hill reaches 7.5 or better, it will be the most sacks by an IDL on the team since Atkins 2018.

[tms]

I can only speak for myself, but I thank my lucky stars every week that NO didn't tag Trey in 2021. Imagine the roles were reversed and it was, say, Lawson doing this for the Jets (well that's an impossible scenario but just hear me out lol). We wouldn't be able to stop talking about it. I'm glad the shoe's on the other foot. He was a major coup for this team.

In terms of underappreciated on the other side of the ball, I can't help but go with Mixon. Especially this year. We have nobody behind him. And he took a pay cut to boot. Yet we don't worry about him at all. We know he'll show up every week, punch the clock and do his job with no fanfare. He's really matured as a leader in that sense, and I feel really lucky to have him on this team.

[Bengalbug]

Hendrickson may be under appreciated by the casual fan, but he is top 10 in nfl salary cap, and top 3 for nfl salary cash for all defensive ends, and a top 3 paid player for the bengals (by cap and cash).

[*ochocincos*]

(10-11-2023, 10:37 AM)tms Wrote: I can only speak for myself, but I thank my lucky stars every week that NO didn't tag Trey in 2021. Imagine the roles were reversed and it was, say, Lawson doing this for the Jets (well that's an impossible scenario but just hear me out lol). We wouldn't be able to stop talking about it. I'm glad the shoe's on the other foot. He was a major coup for this team.

In terms of underappreciated on the other side of the ball, I can't help but go with Mixon. Especially this year. We have nobody behind him. And he took a pay cut to boot. Yet we don't worry about him at all. We know he'll show up every week, punch the clock and do his job with no fanfare. He's really matured as a leader in that sense, and I feel really lucky to have him on this team.

I dunno if there's much to appreciate with a RB with a 3.9 YPC, but I do think the OL is playing a (big) part in why it's not higher.

I will agree though, there isn't someone really established behind him (although I do think they need to be given more carries to see).
Trayveon Williams - 5 carries, 20 yards (4.0 YPC)
Chase Brown - 1 carry, 2 yards (2.0 YPC)
Chris Evans - 2 carries, 12 yards (6.0 YPC)

Mixon is on pace for right around the number of carries he had in 2021, which is when he made his lone pro bowl and put up 1205 yards.
Right now, Mixon's production is on pace for 1115 yards and 4 TDs. Add another ~275 yards through the air, which would be his lowest playing a full season since 2019.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(10-10-2023, 11:11 PM)chrisball96 Wrote: In this league marquee pass rushers are an absolute must-sign. I love Tee but Hendrickson is absolutely essential to this team with who they will have to face for years to come (Hurts, Mahomes, Allen) and he should most certainly be locked up and paid what he deserves. 

As to why he's not more appreciated league-wide, I do think that he's just not that flashy of a guy. I wonder if Parsons, Bosa, Watt, etc. get a ton of press because they were drafted high and had all the hype coming out of college but with Trey being a third round pick, there wasn't as much hype. 

But it is a weird phenomenon all around I will grant you that. 

Nice post Chrisball, well said.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(10-11-2023, 10:21 AM)ochocincos Wrote: BJ Hill is also quietly on pace to have a good year sack-wise.

He's currently at 2.5 sacks, which is a pace of 8-9 sacks by season's end.
If Hill reaches 7.5 or better, it will be the most sacks by an IDL on the team since Atkins 2018.

Thanks Ochocincos. BJ Hill is a really good player and yes he is quietly having a good year, I just wish Zach Carter would step up and 
be that dominant pass rusher at 3-tech for us. If not, we have to be looking for one after this year. BJ Hill is more of a tweener than a 
pure 3-tech like Geno was.

[Housh]

(10-11-2023, 02:23 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Thanks Ochocincos. BJ Hill is a really good player and yes he is quietly having a good year, I just wish Zach Carter would step up and 
be that dominant pass rusher at 3-tech for us. If not, we have to be looking for one after this year. BJ Hill is more of a tweener than a 
pure 3-tech like Geno was.

Love me a good BJ for sure


Maybe he’s not worth the 3yr/21M he got but i mean….he’s playing good so who cares.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(10-12-2023, 02:24 PM)Housh Wrote: Love me a good BJ for sure


Maybe he’s not worth the 3yr/21M he got but i mean….he’s playing good so who cares.

But yeah, Hill plays good and if he wasn't here we would certainly miss him. He isn't a splash play guy like Larry O, but overall
he is probably a better DT.

[Bengalitis]

because the bengals have always been an "offense" team... kinda like the lions.

[*jason*]

(10-10-2023, 06:35 PM)TheFan Wrote: Geno was better and its really not debatable. Geno top 1-3 DT for like 5 years. Trey is top 10 but never been close to considered the best DE in the game. 

I really like Trey and he's a great relentless pass rusher. But he is a liability in the run game which can't be ignored. I would say he's a bit better than Dunlap at rushing the passer but worse to stopping the run. I would take Trey over Dunlap though. 

This... Dunlap was the better all around DE. Trey definitely has him in the pass rush department though. I'm not knocking him. I love what Trey brings to the table.

[Shake n Blake]

(10-10-2023, 06:35 PM)TheFan Wrote: Geno was better and its really not debatable. Geno top 1-3 DT for like 5 years. Trey is top 10 but never been close to considered the best DE in the game. 

I really like Trey and he's a great relentless pass rusher. But he is a liability in the run game which can't be ignored. I would say he's a bit better than Dunlap at rushing the passer but worse to stopping the run. I would take Trey over Dunlap though. 

I'd say Hendrickson is better than just "top 10". Also, to say it's "not close" is a bit much. We're talking about a guy with 28 sacks in 36 games as a Bengal.

Nevermind all he's done in the playoffs, which is better than Atkins and Dunlap combined.

(10-10-2023, 07:16 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: Lost me at saying he's every bit as impactful as a future Hall of Famer, Shake. Atkins wasn't just a beast as a pass rushing DT, but he also was great against the run. There's a reason why Atkins was an All-Pro. There's a reason why Atkins is a HoF All-Decade Teamer.

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I also disagree with being overall better than Dunlap as well. Hendrickson plays 2/3rds of the snaps, Dunlap played 4/5ths of the snaps. Dunlap had to be on the field more, playing the run more and having to dedicate energy towards it. It's a difference between playing 840-940 defensive snaps in a year to Hendrickson's 630-720.

Dunlap's 2 Consecutive Pro Bowl Years: 21.5 Sacks, 5 FF, 16 Pdef, 23 TFL, 57 QB Hits
Hendrickson's 2 Consecutive Pro Bowl Years: 22.0 Sacks, 6 FF, 3 Pdef, 18 TFL, 51 QB Hits

Hendrickson is very very good rushing the passer. He is not good against the run, so they put him on the field for about 15% less snaps to avoid over-exposing him against the run. Can't see how you can call a guy "better overall" if half of his game isn't good.

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We can celebrate Hendrickson being very good at football and a difference maker on the field, but he's not a HoF difference maker like Atkins and while I think he's a better pass rusher right now than Dunlap was, I don't think I could agree with being better overall. I will not abide any Atkins slander. Lol

I also think Hendrickson isn't underappreciated. He gets plenty of love from both fans and the FO who gave him an extension to give him some more cash earnings in 2023 even though he wasn't in his final year.

I don't think Hendrickson will be this dominant as long as Atkins was, but if he was, he'd be in the HOF conversation as well.

I'm just looking at it this way. There were times when Atkins carried the pass rush, and Hendrickson is very much doing the same thing.

As far as Dunlap, we can agree to disagree. Run defense is overrated, imo. The guys who get the most accolades are the guys bringing it to the QB's, and Hendrickson does that better than Dunlap did for the majority of his career. You can sub in a guy for the run.

I love those 2 dudes. Especially Atkins. I meant no disrespect to them, and I doubt they'd take a Trey Hendrickson comparison as an insult. The dude is a baller. I don't think his peak will last long, but it's as good as any peak I've seen, imo.