Bengals defensive struggles highlight Hendrickson’s value

The Cincinnati Bengals gave up 34 points to the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night.

The Bengals’ offense, especially the starting unit, looked solid through most of the game. The defense was a different story. They looked lackluster, continually giving up big plays to Philadelphia en route to a 34-27 loss. Of the numerous defensive issues, perhaps the most glaring was the team’s pass rush.

Pass rush was a problem

Let’s start with the positives. Shemar Stewart was impressive. After a lengthy holdout lasting well into training camp, Stewart became the final 2025 first-round draft pick to ink a deal with their NFL team. Once Stewart made his on-field debut at camp, there were some concerns about his conditioning, and speculation that the holdout could derail his early-season performance.

Those concerns were put to bed on Thursday after Stewart’s impressive performance.

Now the bad news. Aside from Stewart, the rest of the pass rush was nearly non-existent. Even against the Eagles’ backup unit, the Bengals’ starting defense was cooked. A big part of that can be attributed to the lack of pressure on Philly’s backup QB Tanner McKee. McKee looked like a seasoned veteran, going 20-25 for 252 yards and two touchdowns.

The subpar defensive effort shed a spotlight on the biggest storyline surrounding Cincinnati this offseason: the ongoing contract dispute with their All-Pro defensive end Trey Hendrickson.

Hendrickson’s leverage continues to grow

As Hendrickson watched his defensive teammates from the sidelines Thursday, he must have felt good about his value. Bengals fans definitely took notice, with many pointing out his ever-growing value.

Trey Hendrickson just made even more money after watching the Bengals pass rush.

— Andrew Russell (@Andrew_Russell7) August 8, 2025

Hendrickson ended his holdout on July 30th by reporting to training camp. However, he remains a “hold-in” at camp, refusing to take the field until an extension is reached. It is hard to argue that Hendrickson deserves a new contract, and one that pays him amongst the top pass rushers in the NFL.

Negotiations between the two sides have reportedly made progress, and it is believed the team is closer to granting Hendrickson the money he is seeking. The holdup appears to be about guaranteed money beyond one year. While this looks promising, the team has to do something sooner rather than later to avoid Hendrickson missing time in the regular season. Bengals Hall of Famer, Anthony Munoz, has been among those outspoken in recent days, calling for the team to give Hendrickson a new deal.

Speaking to Solomon Wilcots on the Bleav in Bengals podcast, Munoz stated, “You have a proven chaotic, chaos, disturber in the backfield with all those sacks. We don’t have one of those guys right now. At least none of the guys have proven to do that, so we need to sign Trey, get him in there, and get him ready to go.”

Bengals fans will undoubtedly continue to monitor the situation closely in the coming days until news breaks on the situation. Cincinnati will play its next preseason game on Monday, August 18th, against the Commanders.