With the New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts all in the market for edge rusher help this offseason, they could be vying for the same free agents.

One of those free agents likely to draw interest from all three teams is Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson.

In fact, USA TODAY’s Nate Davis projects that’s exactly what will happen after naming the Eagles, Colts and Patriots as the best fits for Hendrickson, who is projected by Spotrac to receive a two-year, $50 million deal.

“After registering 35 sacks between the 2023 and ’24 seasons, including a league-leading 17½ in the latter campaign, the 31-year-old was limited to seven games by injuries last year − that in the wake of a contentious offseason with the Cincinnati Bengals. It’s worth wondering now if Cincy simply lets Hendrickson walk or tries a tag-and-trade gambit, but a fresh start seems like the best outcome. Regardless, his services should be in high demand,” Davis said.

“Best fits: Patriots, Colts, Eagles,” Davis added.

The expectation has been that Hendrickson will hit the open market after failing to get a contract extension done in recent years, which has left the three-time Pro Bowler and former sacks champion disgruntled.

However, NFL insiders aren’t ruling out Hendrickson getting tagged by the Bengals, which would add another layer to any team’s pursuit, assuming the intention from Cincinnati is to turn around and trade Hendrickson off the tag.

That isn’t guaranteed, either.

“Our understanding is that the Bengals are still considering using the franchise tag,” Mike Garafolo of NFL Network said. “Now, could it be a tag and trade possibility? Perhaps. Sounds like all options are on the table for Hendrickson right now. But it is not a forgone conclusion that his time in Cincinnati is over.”

Even if the Bengals want to trade Hendrickson after the tag, we believe plenty of teams will line up to acquire a guy who led the NFL in sacks from 2023 through 2024 because of how much of a difference-maker he can be.

Now, Hendrickson doesn’t come without risk. He’s going to be 32 in December and is coming off an injury-plagued campaign that ended early. That said, one down year isn’t enough for us to write off Hendrickson thanks to his track record.

The Patriots’ need at edge comes from the fact that K’Lavon Chaisson is a pending free agent and may not return, and New England needs more depth in general.

Indy has three different edge rushers set to hit the open market in Samson Ebukam, Tyquan Lewis and Kwity Paye, all of whom combined for nine sacks last season.

The Eagles, who had the most sacks of the three teams with 42, which ranked tied for 12th in the NFL, are not guaranteed to re-sign Jaelen Phillips and would still need help across from him even if the former first-round pick does return.

If Hendrickson has his pick of the lot in free agency, we don’t think it’s outlandish to suggest he could choose the Colts with his connection to defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo from their days together in Cincinnati.

If it comes down to a trade, we like the Eagles’ chances, as general manager Howie Roseman has proven to be among the most aggressive executives in the NFL when he wants a player bad enough.

The Patriots’ advantage comes from their superior cap space number ($40.5 million), but they aren’t exactly lapping the Colts ($35.7) and Eagles ($18.1 million) in that area.

If Hendrickson is moved via trade, we believe he’ll end up with the Eagles. But if free agency is in Hendrickson’s future, the Colts and Patriots feel more likely than Philly, with the edge going to Indy over New England.

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