Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson will play against the New England Patriots on Saturday, head coach Zac Taylor confirmed on Thursday.
Hendrickson suffered a broken wrist on Dec. 11 in the fourth quarter when the Bengals faced the Browns. The injury took place when defensive end Sam Hubbard’s helmet collided with Hendrickson’s wrist. He continued to play for the rest of the game with the injury.
After missing just one game, Hendrickson’s wrist remains broken, but he will be back on the field for the Bengals. The first tip Hendrickson was headed in the right direction was his return to practice in a limited fashion this week. He wouldn’t confirm one way or another during the week but hinted he was willing to play through pain and discomfort to help his team.
“To get our brother back out there with us shows how great he is battling through that kind of thing,” defensive tackle DJ Reader said of Hendrickson.
The Bengals get a boost on defense with the return of Hendrickson as he is arguably their best player. For a second consecutive year, he earned Pro Bowl honors ‒ Hendrickson has six sacks on the year and finished with 14 in 2021.
He’s impacted Cincinnati’s defense since he signed with the team in 2021. Hendrickson signed a four-year deal with the Bengals worth $60 million.
Hendrickson’s return comes at the right time for the Bengals because Cincinnati is expected to be without defensive end Sam Hubbard for a few weeks with a calf injury. Hubbard injured his calf against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Second-year edge rusher Joseph Ossai will start opposite of Hendrickson in place of Hubbard against the Patriots. Cincinnati can clinch a playoff berth with either a loss by the New York Jets on Thursday night against to the Jacksonville Jaguars or a win over New England on Saturday.
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