Trey Hendrickson is predicted to be on the move to a top NFC North contender
ESPN predicts Bengals trade Trey Hendrickson to Lions for solid draft pick compensation originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
After trading for Joe Flacco, the Cincinnati Bengals painted a picture that they were "all-in" this season. Combined with their loss to the Green Bay Packers being a much closer one than it might've been with Jake Browning, there's some hope in Cincinnati.
That hope could make a trade involving Trey Hendrickson, the Bengals' top trade asset, a bit more unlikely. But, if the Bengals continue to lose, dropping below 2-4, then Hendrickson could become available.
ESPN's Bill Barnwell made a trade prediction if Cincinnati falls further out of the playoff race. He predicts that the Bengals would ship Hendrickson to the Detroit Lions in the NFC North to bring back solid draft pick compensation.
Bengals predicted to trade Trey Hendrickson to the Lions for a 2026 second-round pick
Barnwell predicts that the Bengals will trade Hendrickson and a 2026 fourth-round pick for a 2026 second-round pick. It's a huge jump in draft capital, though the Lions' second-rounder will likely fall in the 50s rather than in the 30s or 40s of the draft.
"Now, with Hendrickson in the final year of his deal, this would be a pure rental. The Bengals are closer to losing Hendrickson for nothing in free agency." Barnwell writes. "The Bengals have to be realistic about their chances of competing for a title without Joe Burrow, who is out indefinitely with a toe injury."
After an offseason of contract disputes, Hendrickson signed a one-year deal that'd make him a free agent after the 2025 season. No one could've expected Burrow to get hurt and potentially miss the rest of the year. With Burrow out for a while, the 2025 season might be a lost one for the Bengals, and moving Hendrickson amid such a lost year makes sense.
"If they're going to lose Hendrickson this offseason," Barnwell writes, "trading him now could lock in a second-round pick in the 2026 draft as opposed to landing a potential compensatory pick in 2027."
Landing a 2026 second-round pick for Hendrickson and a fourth-round pick wouldn't be the worst return for a one-year rental. The Bengals might lose Hendrickson for nothing in the offseason, and adding a second-rounder would be solid compensation.
More: Cincinnati Bengals acquiring Joe Flacco in trade with Cleveland Browns
They could try and land the compensatory pick, but it wouldn't come until 2027, and it'd be a third-round pick at best. And if they signed a player to cancel it out, they'd end up losing Hendrickson for nothing.
Trading Hendrickson would be a sign that the Bengals are giving up on the year, and while, ahead of Week 7, the Bengals have no plans to do so, they could be staring a major hole by the trade deadline after Week 9.
If they lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 7, they will have to beat the Chicago Bears and the New York Jets if they want to avoid falling to 2-7 by the trade deadline. Even if they beat the Jets, being 3-6 at the deadline could have Cincinnati re-thinking if they should keep Hendrickson or not.
Of the players who could be on the move at the deadline, the plan that the Bengals have with Hendrickson is one of the more interesting ones. If they aren't a serious contender, moving Hendrickson makes a lot of sense.
The coming weeks will be huge for the Bengals and teams around the NFL, like the Lions, who would be interested in Hendrickson. Cincinnati's first chance to course-correct the season comes on Thursday Night Football against the Steelers.
A win over the Steelers would have the Bengals back in business for the AFC North, and could lead to Hendrickson coming off the trade block, taking a top trade target away from the Lions and plenty of other top contenders in the NFL eyeing pass rush help.
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