Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - Trey Hendrickson’s Bengals Injury Raises RED FLAGS as Questions PILE UP Over Status

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Cincinnati Bengals will still be without the services of Trey Hendrickson, who hasn't been to the IR, who had trade offers and is still missing in action for a critical game against the Buffalo Bills. Let's break it down. You are locked on Bengals, your daily Cincinnati Bengals podcast. Part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. Well, up, Bengals fans, and welcome to another episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast. part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day, now the number one podcast network in the land.

Starting point is 00:00:41 He's James Rapine. I'm Jake Liscoe. We've had you covered here on Lockdown Bengals going all the way back to 2016, making it your one-stop shop for all things Bengals. If you have a question about what's going on with the Bengals, you'll get it answered here on this podcast. Today we dive into what's going on with Trey Hendrickson. How we'll know if the success that we've seen relatively,

Starting point is 00:01:04 speaking in the last two weeks for this defense will be sticky for the rest of the season. And those will be the primary topics for our conversation today, James, in an episode brought to the people by Fandul. If you want to be right in the middle of the action this season, you can check out Fandul.com and place your NFL live vets all season long. And let's get started today, James, with Trey Hendrickson, who once again is on Monday, doubtful. and hasn't really been seen a whole lot lately.

Starting point is 00:01:38 Yeah. Fueling speculation about what's going on with his recovery from this injury that is a core muscle, hip pelvis injury that was apparently aggravated when he got hit in the back against the Jets. Exactly what? That's the question that people are asking right now. And there's a lot of questions, a lot of speculation about Trey Hendrickson's status for those following the Bengals this week. All right. So there's a few things here.

Starting point is 00:02:05 One, if Trey Hendrickson is healthy enough to play, he should play. I'm going to make it very, very clear. I think there are a lot of people to blame for this. Because if he's hurt and he's really injured, well, then he should have been on injured reserve. Right. And you should have said, all right, Trey, get healthy for the stretch run. If he has a core muscle injury that's going to prevent him from playing, well, then Trey just have the surgery and get it done.

Starting point is 00:02:32 if you're not going to be able to play anymore. If he's hurt but can play but isn't because of the contract and worried about the franchise tag and everything that could happen this offseason, well then kick yourself and blame yourself because you're the one that took this one-year pay increase. Like this is just annoying. All of it's annoying and it feels like that there's, it stinks. And by stinks, I mean smells bad.

Starting point is 00:03:00 Like something's wrong here. Why would he not be on injured? reserve. Why would the team not do that? Why would if he's if he's injured to the extent that is going to cause him to miss four plus games and be doubtful every Monday and all of those things? Two. So so I think the team feels like he whether or not they're going to come out and say it or not. The team probably feels like he can play at some point and probably should already be playing. Maybe I'm going crazy there with the injured reserve thing. But it should seem like it and feel like he's close. And who knows, maybe he gets out there Wednesday. But that's the

Starting point is 00:03:32 first thing. The second thing is, if that is the case, and he is milking this a little bit because of the contract, I have zero. And this is, I'm going to be in the locker room. Maybe I'll see Try on Wednesday. Zero, I don't feel bad for him. He's the one that agreed to this one year deal that I never thought he would agree to. I never thought he was going to take a one year bump and go that route. And he did. And the moment you do that, you need to be focused on going out there and playing. And maybe he just can't, right? Maybe he just can't. And the Bengals just didn't put him on injured reserve because they wanted to leave the door open for him. It just doesn't feel like it's that cut and dry. It feels gray. It's not black. It's not white. It's gray. It feels like Trey

Starting point is 00:04:16 that there's some questioning inside the organization of how how injured he is versus hurt. A lot of guys are hurt. A lot of guys play hurts. If you're injured, usually you end up on injured reserve and so this is all speculation I haven't talked to tray since the trade deadline the day before the trade deadline I talked to him and I haven't really seen him in a while he's not at practice all of those things so this is all speculation but you just kind of read the tea leaves I think the team feels like tray should be at least close to returning if not on the field already and tray certainly feels differently for five weeks removed from the aggravation of that injury.

Starting point is 00:04:59 He feared to be in a lot of pain when he took a hit in the back when he was already engaged with the tackle, the guard for the Jets looking for work, delivering an extra hit. Trey obviously in a lot of pain there, had a really hard time getting off the field. Yep. And then it became a core muscle injury.

Starting point is 00:05:19 The classification on the injury report has changed a few times. And maybe this is that simple that, their understanding of the injury has evolved over time. And that's why they didn't put him on IR initially. They thought, ah, this could be another couple weeks. And then they discover the core muscle part of things. And then they're like, well, we're already two weeks in. And IR isn't retroactive in the NFL.

Starting point is 00:05:44 What if it was, by the way? Just a passive thought. But IR not retroactive in the NFL. If we put him on IR now, that's another four weeks. But maybe he'll be back before those four weeks are up. and now we've reset our IR window for Trey, and we've discovered this new thing about the injury. Maybe there was a setback in rehab.

Starting point is 00:06:04 Maybe he was on the right track and something went wrong. But we haven't heard that that is a case. There's some evidence to suggest that the injury may have changed, right? Because we've had the changing classification on the injury report. We've seen the report of the core muscle injury that will require an off-season surgery. But the reason that there are so many questions is that we haven't heard that cut and dry answer from anyone related to the team, from Trey, from his camp. And maybe we will now because this has gotten a little bit louder this week. And the pattern with Trey is after a day like today or a couple of days like today where people are starting to write about it, people are starting to talk about it much more on social media.

Starting point is 00:06:47 You often see a response from Trey the next day. We'll see if that happens here in this case. That's why I mentioned it. You never know. Yeah. Because there are so many questions around it, and you look at the way Zach is answering the questions. Dude. He's cutting people off.

Starting point is 00:07:04 He is exasperated talking about this. He is providing no clarity of information. And you don't necessarily expect injured players to talk, but you compare this to even the way he's talked about Burroughs return. And it's not close. I think is the only takeaway that I have, and it's been week to week for five weeks, so how is it not close? And there's no IR trip.

Starting point is 00:07:31 And then there's the last thing that's confusing is that there were trade offers, they weren't good trade offers, but there were trade offers at the deadline and trade talks before the deadline, and then silence after that. So that doesn't necessarily mean anything. Andrew players often don't talk,

Starting point is 00:07:49 but the whole thing, like you said, there's just all these questions around it that don't have answers which is contributing further to speculation and the weird vibe around what's going on no injured reserve and doubtful every week and we'll take it week to week the way Zach his body language tray not talking he talked before the deadline by the way after the after the jets hit after this you know him going coming off the field like there's all of these things and all of these factors and so it's twofold man one if you're healthy enough to play you should play and you have a lot of money on the line two i do wonder and i tray knows he could get franchise tagged in in high level he'd get like 30 isn't

Starting point is 00:08:32 it like 30ish million the cap hit would be 36 something like that of cash that he would get and i and i forget the exact amount but i think that's about right if you want me to look i'm looking for a defensive end in 2026 the franchise tag is 26 and a half million dollars 26.6.6 million dollars in cash but because they did the void year the cap hit would be a little bit higher for the bengals but for cash it's only 26 and a half yeah but no but it's it's different it's different because of his it's higher than that it's a little higher than that but anyways the point is even so franchise tagging him is like in play if he's one of the best NFL's best pass rushers so i wonder if he's like you know what i'm just not going to be and i'm

Starting point is 00:09:18 to get to free agency and this is how I'm going to do it. I don't know that, but guess what, Trey, if it felt like before the deadline, which was ages ago now, a month ago, you were like close to playing. It felt like he was going to play. Maybe this injury is just super complicated. Or maybe it smells exactly how it is. And I'm not saying he's not hurt. That's not what I'm saying.

Starting point is 00:09:42 But the team didn't put you on injured reserve. And yet you're still doubtful every single time Zach talks about you. I think there's a disconnect. And that's what I mean. It smells like there's a disconnect between what the team is viewing versus how Trey is viewing it. I don't know if it's about his contract or if he's just looking out for himself, by the way.

Starting point is 00:09:58 Teams doctors and players doctors could be different. And maybe he's worried about the core muscle thing. He's trying to figure it out how he can play with it and doesn't want to undergo surgery. They're hopeful that they can get about maybe. It's just that simple. But it doesn't feel great, especially giving Zach's lack of information

Starting point is 00:10:17 because he could just come out and say, that look trace fighting through a core muscle issue we're hoping to get him back this year we've left him off of injured reserve because we think there's a chance he can come back and he's one of the best players on our roster but we don't know if that's going to be the case or not and that would kind of end it and he hasn't done that i agree that's why we have these lingering questions but the defense needs to go on with or without tray it will be without against the buffalo bills and there have been signs of life in the last two weeks, James, that I think I want to talk about how sustainable some of these things are and how we'll know if some of these improvements are real.

Starting point is 00:11:01 And if they'll stick for the rest of the season, we'll dive into the defense coming up next. Today's show is brought to you by Fandall. Fandall is America's number one sports book, and we know it. NFL Sundays, they move fast. One big play, and suddenly everything feels different. That's what you get with Fandul is you can not just watch the game. You can react to it in real time. You can live bet.

Starting point is 00:11:27 You can go with same game parlias. You can do same game prop bets. You can do all of the above. And obviously Sunday is going to be huge. It's Joe Burrow. It's Josh Allen. It's the Bengals trying to keep their playoff hopes alive. And they're five and a half point underdogs right now on Fandul.

Starting point is 00:11:42 From live spreads to player props and so much more. You got to get to Fandall. So do it today by going to Fandul.com. get right in the middle of all of the action this season by going to fandal.com and your place to use all of their props and odds for live NFL bets all season long. A fandle, the game moves fast. It does. It moves really fast. Like Jake, let's go sprinting and you can too with fandle at fandle.com. All right, Jake, let's keep it rolling with some thoughts on this defense. Everybody else besides Trey Hendrickson and what they've done over the past couple of

Starting point is 00:12:24 of weeks. There's been a lot of discussion, certainly, about this Bengals defense finding itself. They force a bunch of turnovers in Baltimore. Are you all in? It has Al Golden's unit gained your confidence going into a huge matchup on Sunday in Buffalo on the road. James Cook, one of the best running backs in the league and one of the best quarterbacks in the league in Josh Al. I was honestly more impressed with the defense against the Patriots than the Ravens. They made more plays against the Ravens, right? And that's why that result is better. They benefit from forcing a few fumbles. They recover all the fumbles that the Ravens put on the ground in that game. They have a good interception on a Miles Murphy play. I am still treading cautiously here.

Starting point is 00:13:17 The tackling issue really only went away for that Patriots game. It kind of came back against the Ravens. Ravens just didn't run very many plays. is they turn the ball over so much. But the tackling issue on a per-play basis was back against the Ravens. It wasn't as bad as it had been, like against the Bears, the Steelers, the Packers, like some of their worst tackling games of the season, but it was kind of in that bottom quartile in terms of what you would expect from an NFL team in tackling. And here's my primary theory.

Starting point is 00:13:54 you tell me what you think. My primary theory right now is that there is one thing happening that should lead to further success down the road, which is Al Golden is blitzing more. That's the biggest change that we've seen in the last two weeks. Is Al Golden is blitzing more? And those blitzes are doing enough to challenge the Bengals opponent's protection scheme that is generating free rushers or advantageous matchups for past rushers. They're also finding some chemistry with Miles Murphy and Josepho Lined up beside each other. Some of the twists and stunts that those guys are doing are working.

Starting point is 00:14:29 Those guys are gaining confidence. There's a lot of hustle in those two players, huge motor plays for Osai and Murphy that has led to some success as well. But primarily, I think, it's a blitzing. The Bengals didn't blitz all year. Last couple of weeks, they've blitzed. So my question is, is how much of their success in these last two weeks is matchup dependent? and or like, yeah, we haven't put this on tape. And now we're putting some blitzes on tape.

Starting point is 00:15:00 And now you guys, our opponents will have seen the blitzes that we'd like to use on third down. You'll have a bit of a better feel for some of the blitzes we're bringing. And how well will the Bengals opponents adjust now that this stuff is on tape? That's my question. That's the biggest thing I'm watching against Buffalo, against Baltimore and the rematches. How effective are the Bengals in those spots? How effective are those blitzes? Do they continue to find their right ways to challenge opposing offenses and protection?

Starting point is 00:15:32 Do they continue to confuse protection? Or do teams start to catch on? And now you really have to start adjusting again. You have to find your counterpunch to the counterpunch. You have to find ways to improve in the back half because those linebackers are still too often in the wrong place in coverage. And Gino Stone had the one week, but kind of reverted a little bit against the Ravens in some ways as well in coverage.

Starting point is 00:15:54 So I think a lot is riding on those blitzes right now. And so that's what I'm watching, assuming that the linebackers and safetys kind of remain as they have been. Jordan Battle has been a little bit steadier, so lumping them in a little bit there. But the core of that defense has been an issue. So how much of that is the blitz covering up some of those issues? Sure. And so, yes, they've shown improvement. Is it sustainable?

Starting point is 00:16:25 and can they continue it? And all of the regular things that need to be done still need to be done. The basic tackling things that this defense in general has had issues with. That needs to continue to get better and improve. The linebackers in general just have to be better, have to be consistent. And maybe they'll get there. But I agree. Like I'm not going to say like, oh, I think the Bengals defense is going to go hold Josh Allen and James Cook.

Starting point is 00:16:54 and Khalil Shakir and Dalton Kincaid if he plays to 20 points this week. It just doesn't feel like that. Now, if they do, I like the Bengals chances. And that's a reasonable goal, I think, for this Bengals defense. But I'm not buying stock in that. And maybe that looks silly on Sunday at 4 p.m. Eastern because Osai and Murphy wreak havoc, the Bengals linebackers are moving sideline to sideline. They make some plays.

Starting point is 00:17:23 and the secondary steps up. Maybe, but we need to see it. And I do think that the other element here, they clearly are comfortable with Jalen Davis as a versatile piece and using him as a blitzer and those things. So maybe they have more up their sleeve from that element. I hope so. Like I hope they evolve as offenses evolved to these blitzes,

Starting point is 00:17:48 and you can still get those sort of splash plays. because I don't need this defense to be this juggernaut that's just going to force eight punts. I need them to be, and they're not going to force five turnovers every week, but to be that defense, an opportunistic defense that's going to force a couple of punts on Sunday and two turnovers. And you hold serve in the red zone a couple of times and you hold the bills to a couple of field goals versus touchdowns. You do that, and you get bro a few extra opportunities, and you, and you, do the basic things like tackle in space, and you'll probably be okay and have a shot.

Starting point is 00:18:29 And that's really where we came into the season asking this Bengals defense to do is be solid, not great, good enough. And that's where I'm back to. Can they do that? Can they produce a few splash plays and not give up 500 plus total yards and just get shredded like they have in some of these games?

Starting point is 00:18:49 If they do that, I'm okay with it. I think that that's a reasonable expectation at this point. But am I expecting them to continue what we've seen from a turnover force standpoint or even against the Patriots, how well they played for most of that game? I'm not sure that that's realistic. Yeah, I think that there are some things that look sustainable to me. And then there are just these factors that we're talking about here between the linebackers

Starting point is 00:19:20 and the pass rush, which has been better, but still lacks the Trey Hendrickson kind of player, right? Like Miles Murphy and Joseph Osive played well. Don't get me wrong. But they don't have Walter Nolan on this defense, who's had a couple of really good games for Arizona. I know he was injured for a lot of the season, but there's no habit creator on the inside.

Starting point is 00:19:43 They didn't get Walter Nolan in the draft. Samar Stewart's on the IR. And we still don't know what's going on. on with Trey. And so without those guys, I think the pass rush questions do persist, and the blitz is helping with that. But there are some things, right, that looks sustainable. You talk about Jalen Davis, I think that that and the corners, Jalen Davis now with the 53, he's been signed to the roster from the practice squad. I think the corners are a big topic this week in terms of how the bills are going to want to attack you. And I think that that bears conversation as well as

Starting point is 00:20:20 the the continued play of Murphy and Osai. And some of these things that look like they might be foundational for the rest of the year for the Bengals defense. So let's get to some of the things that I think are working outside of just some blitz and players that are showing something coming up next. Today's show is brought to you by Aura Frames. And look, the holidays are here. You need a gift. And gift hunting season can be tough. Well, it's not.

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Starting point is 00:22:22 this week are big because of run defense. I think their coverage matters. Don't get me wrong. But Jalen Davis, being the slot corner of the future, made his plays, right? Forced to fumble to close out that game against Baltimore. Had his share plays in the last couple of weeks. Had it had a pass breakup or had his hand in a pass breakup as well in each of the last two weeks. Everybody watched that Bill's game, right?

Starting point is 00:22:53 a lot of people watch that Bill's games, prime time game. James Cook, running duo, bouncing it to Joey Porter on just about every play. And for all of the love that I will give to DJ Turner

Starting point is 00:23:07 and his willingness and his improvement in the run game, there's still some size questions with this Bengals secondary at this point at corner. Jalen Davis listed at 190, DJ Turner and 180. Dax's a little bit bigger.

Starting point is 00:23:22 Dax got that prototap, prototypical size a little bit more, but even he's just listed in 191. These guys are going to have to tackle in the run game. They're going to have to play run support this week. Jordan Battle is going to have to play good run support defense this week. Geno Stone is going to have to play good run support defense this week. But while I've been impressed with especially the last two weeks, this corner room really come together with DJ Dax and Jalen Davis.

Starting point is 00:23:46 And I think that will matter against a lackluster, frankly, receiving group from the bills. their run d is going to be under the spotlight a little bit more this week yeah it's it's a really good topic it's why i think so far every time i've mentioned this matchup i mentioned james cook right away because i the last thing you want is joe bro on the sideline and james cook running the ball up and down the field and that will be the bill's plan if i'm the bills i'm like oh all right little itty-bitty dj turner and i'm not saying that for my vantage point that's him he's been grading coverage this year. Let's see what happens when you're getting hit over and over and over and DJ's going to be ready for it. And that's it. That's what we're going to see. Let's test these

Starting point is 00:24:31 young linebackers that just a ridiculous play by Barrett Carter on Derek Henry to give Derek Henry that 40 plus yard run, that Miles Murphy track down. Like basic stuff like that. Can you fix it? Can you clean that up because those are the type of plays that get the Buffalo Bills crowd going crazy and suddenly the tables are breaking and it's really tough to overcome. Those are the type of plays. And the Bengals can't have the rookie linebackers going through tables. And that's, that's it. So yeah, I agree with you on the secondary. You need these guys. One, like Gino Stone, the aggressiveness he played with against the Patriots where he was physical and he was coming up and making tackles and celebrate like that fire whatever it is whatever pre-workout he took before the game man

Starting point is 00:25:21 you give it two doses this week gino like well whoever whoever got him going whatever it was do it again and maybe it was everybody just calling him calling out his mistackles after pittsburg but that's the fire that the entire defense has to play with because if you slow down that bill's rushing attack in coverage your secondary should be able to hold up in the bill's bills do have some question marks in that offensive line room. And they are vulnerable there. And if they don't have the ability to rely on the run game, then you're going to have a real shot to slow them down and keep them in that 20-point range.

Starting point is 00:26:00 If you do that, you should be right there with Joe Burrow at quarterback. And that's all you need. You need to find a way to win this week. And if so, people will be really excited. And so defensively, it definitely starts with that rushing attack for the bills and making sure that it doesn't just dominate the game because it certainly had they have the ability for that to be that to be the story on Sunday for sure it's probably the best running attack the Bengals will have faced since the Bears game I want to say and the Bears have really found ways to be

Starting point is 00:26:34 very effective running the ball the Patriots also have like a good run game have had a good run game of late the Bengals did a really good job in that game the Ravens traditionally are a team that in the last few years, their identity is built around the run. It hasn't been as strong this year for the Ravens, both in terms of their offensive lines performance and run blocking, which is still good, but not great. And Lamar Jackson's injury being the big issue there when you don't have to account for the quarterback in that run game, it changes the math quite significantly. But the bills, both in terms of the quality of their runners, because Ray Davis is, I mean, Ray Davis is his own, like for a backup.

Starting point is 00:27:16 running back, you take that if you're Buffalo, solid player. And an identity there for this offense is built around running the ball. Josh Allen's threat as a runner is something the Bengals haven't had to deal with this year. We'll dive into these matchups some more, but

Starting point is 00:27:31 that's why we're talking about the run-dee this week. The other thing that we really ought to mention here is we're wrapping up with some of the things that are looking good, because I do feel pretty good about the corners going forward right now. Dax is vacillated a little bit in his transition to outside corner.

Starting point is 00:27:48 He had the penalty game a couple of weeks ago. It was really good against Baltimore. But Joseph Osai and Miles Murphy embracing their expanded roles. Osai really playing a steady brand of football the last couple of weeks. Murphy's motor, if nothing else, showing up in significant, significant ways for this team. And while neither guy, like I said, neither guy's making that Trey Hendrickson size impact for you. At least you're getting something out of that position with those two guys at this point. And you have the body types there.

Starting point is 00:28:25 I think that you're looking for in the Josh Allen matchup and thinking about the James Cook matchup. And we'll see what's going on with the bills to tackle this week. We don't have a practice report yet as we're recording this. But those guys, for the rest of the season and for this game, appreciate what they've done lately. And you have some confidence, I think, at this point, in those guys for being what they are. They're not world beaters, but they're at least solid players who can make some plays for you on defense. Yeah, and you're going to need them to continue that for sure.

Starting point is 00:28:53 I agree with you in the confidence in the corners. I also think, wouldn't it be great if Miles and Osai just they just continue this and you're like, man, that those can be two dudes for you. And Osai's obviously in the contract year. Miles is in his third year, but that would be pretty awesome. You talk about drafting and hits and all of those things. Maybe that switch did turn on. But I need to see more.

Starting point is 00:29:23 I need to see more from both guys. I think they know that. This is a big, big test. And I hope that they have their fair share of second and third and longs where they are in a chance to, and they do get a chance to go after Josh Allen and get after him. And at the same time, those hustle plays, they're going to matter too. And who knows, maybe the chase down this week is Miles Murphy or Osai. and they force a fumble on that play.

Starting point is 00:29:48 And instead of a 30-yard run, it's a 30-yard run with a fumble at the end that gives the Bengals the ball in a key moment. You never know. And it has been good, though. I'll be honest. It's been good because it did not feel good a few weeks ago. But for Miles to do what he's done and throw aside to have the game that he had against Baltimore, hopefully that both guys can build on that and be more steady.

Starting point is 00:30:12 The stat of the day that I got here, which is less a stat and more of a PFF subjective evaluation thing. But since week 18, Joseph Osai, among defensive ends with at least 178 snaps. So guys that are playing a lot for their teams. And this includes more than 50 players. This includes 56 players across the NFL at the edge of position. Joseph Osai's overall grade is eighth in the NFL behind Micah Parsons. Daniel Hunter, Greg Russo, Aziraku for Dallas,

Starting point is 00:30:47 the rookie Alex Hypsmith, Will Anderson, and Miles Garrett. Those are the guys that have graded better than Joseph Osai from week eight through week 13. So pretty good run for Joseph Osai. Nice to see Miles Murphy turning it on a little bit as well, making some big plays for this team. Finish.

Starting point is 00:31:03 Finish over the next five weeks. And then Osai's getting paid. And who knows, maybe Murphy gets his fifth year option picked up, you know? Yeah, and I think it's just great that there are at least some things that have been consistent enough that we can say there are some signs of progress from this defense. Need to see it at linebacker, need to see it a safety, need to see it on the defensive interior. Yeah, all those things still true, but at least there's some things that you can say I feel pretty good about for the Bengals in their matchups down the stretch this season on defense. That's going to do it for this episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast.

Starting point is 00:31:38 We'll be back tomorrow with a crossover with Joe Marino from Los Angeles. lockdown bills and we're diving into a preview as the Bengals are ready to head to Buffalo for another must-win game. How many must-win games is that this season, James? A lot. A lot. It feels like all of them. Every single one is must-win now, no doubt. Sure is. Until next time, thanks for listening to this episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast, Hootay, and have a good one.

Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - Trey Hendrickson’s Bengals Injury Raises RED FLAGS as Questions PILE UP Over Status

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