At the start of the fourth quarter when the Cincinnati Bengals were facing the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 11, defensive ends Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson collided, and Hubbard’s helmet hit Hendrickson’s wrist.
Hendrickson looked at Hubbard and knew something was wrong. Hubbard told him, “You’re good.” It was the push Hendrickson needed to finish the game.
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“We had to win that game,” Hendrickson said. “It was one of those things where you have to step up to the plate and get through it, but I definitely knew something was wrong.”
Immediately after the game, Hendrickson knew he had broken his wrist. He underwent tests the following day and they confirmed what he thought.
The Bengals were going to be without their best edge rusher for at least one game. Hendrickson was unable to practice last week and didn’t play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Joseph Ossai started in his place.
It appears the Bengals will be getting Hendrickson back soon. Potentially this week. He was a limited participant in practice on Tuesday and Wednesday and head coach Zac Taylor said they are optimistically taking in day to day.
“We'll see how he gets through the week,” Taylor said. “With a lot of the guys we are trending towards optimistic, but we want to utilize these full speed practice days, these next two days to see where we are really at."
While the Bengals might be getting Hendrickson back, they lost their other starting defensive end, Hubbard, against Tampa. Hubbard suffered a calf injury that will keep him sidelined for anywhere between two to four weeks.
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If Hendrickson can start against the Patriots on Saturday, it will be Ossai and him starting at defensive end. If he can’t, the Bengals will rely on Cam Sample, Jeff Gunter and Ossai.
The Bengals’ coaching staff is pleased with what they’ve seen from Ossai with increased snaps. Hendrickson is also proud of his young teammates for stepping up and carrying the load while he was out.
“It’s great when you see young guys that deserve opportunities get those opportunities to make plays and have an impact on the game,” Hendrickson said. “Knowing how hard they work and how hard we work as a unit; I had no doubt they were going produce on Sunday.”
As the Bengals continue their quest to win the AFC North, they need Hendrickson at his best. He has six sacks on the year and often demands double teams from their opponents. He is coming off a Pro Bowl season in 2021 when he recorded a career-high 14 sacks.
Hendrickson is the player opposing offensive coordinators build their game plan around. That’s why the Bengals signed him to a four-year, $60 million contract in March of 2021.
“He’s relentless,” Taylor said of Hendrickson. “He’s very smart. He does a really good job of studying his opponents. He’s absolutely relentless. He’s strong, he’s quick. And then you add in his football IQ on top of that and it makes a really dangerous player. He maximizes all of his strengths to the fullest. Every third down I watch him I feel like he has to beat two blocks and he’s just relentless with his effort. He’s a tremendous player.”
The final injury report of the week will come out on Thursday with Hendrickson’s game status. Cincinnati can probably get by without Hendrickson this week in New England and still win, but they’ll certainly need him back for their Week 17 matchup against the Buffalo Bills.
Taylor wants to make sure Hendrickson gets a full week of practice before making any declarations regarding his availability. So for now, it’s wait and see.
“I just want to get through these next couple of days and see where we at for the game,” Taylor said.
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