Cincinnati Bengals fans are skeptically hopeful, if that’s a thing, that the front office is going to “really spend” and build a better team around Joe Burrow. Fans are hoping most of their resources go towards rebuilding a defense that has been really bad, to put it lightly, over the last three seasons.
There are some really good free agent defensive players going into this offseason, so the Bengals can absolutely sign one or more of them. They need to do that as they did in 2021.
“I could see the Bengals aggressively pursuing free agents on defense,” Breer said. “Should Hendrickson depart, landing someone like Eagles free-agent Jaelan Phillips would make a lot of sense. A free-agent safety, like Seattle’s Coby Bryant or Kansas City’s Bryan Cook, would, too. We’ll see if they get the commitment from ownership to spend to add to a unit with some promising young pieces (Shemar Stewart, DJ Turner II, and Demetrius Knight Jr.).”
Bryant and Cook are great players to go after. Not only are both of them Super Bowl Champions from really good organizations, but they also both played college football at Cincinnati. That matters. Winners, and players who played college football in the Queen City. Getting those two guys here in Cincinnati would help a young secondary that has potential.
Speaking of Hendrickson, Breer didn’t hold back on what he thinks the future holds for the Bengals’ All-Pro edge rusher.
“I’d be pretty surprised if Hendrickson ended up back in Cincinnati next year,” Breer said. “The Bengals gave him a big raise, up to $29 million last year, and only got seven games out of him, and there were real questions on how much he did to push through injuries. (Particularly when juxtaposed with how maniacal Joe Burrow was in trying to return from his toe injury ahead of schedule.)”
It was always curious when Zac Taylor would give updates on Trey Hendrickson leading up to each game, quickly saying that he was doubtful to play in the upcoming game. There are just so many blurred lines with Hendrickson that it makes sense for the Bengals to move on from him and go in a different direction.