The Cincinnati Bengals have placed Trey Hendrickson on injured reserve, the team announced Thursday.
Hendrickson, who has battled hip and back injuries throughout the season, underwent core muscle surgery this week, which is expected to sideline him for at least six weeks. That means even if the Bengals somehow made the NFL Playoffs, they’d need to make a deep run to the conference championship or even the Super Bowl for him to have any hope of playing again, so his season is effectively over.
Now, the question becomes: Is this the last we’ve seen of Trey Hendrickson in Bengals stripes? He’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent in March, and the Bengals have no intention of signing him to a long-term extension.
Could the Bengals place the franchise tag on Hendrickson? That seemed like a given before all the injury issues this season. Now, it’s anyone’s guess as to how this offseason will play out for Hendrickson and the Bengals.