2025 NFL Draft: What Does The Bengals Pick Mean For Trey Hendrickson?

The Cincinnati Bengals have been surrounded by talks about Trey Hendrickson’s future all off-season. The league leader in sacks in 2024 is looking for a new contract and has been the subject of trade rumors, all of which has been lingering over a defense that ranked 8th-worst in the NFL in points allowed.

NFL Draft: Was The Bengals Pick A Replacement For Trey Hendrickson?

So when they used their first round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to select an edge rusher, many assumed that it would be a Hendrickson succession plan. But Bengals’ head coach Zac Taylor denied that notion, saying that there was no correlation between Shemar Stewart and the veteran edge rusher.

“No. This is not a story about anybody else,” Taylor said when asked if there was a connection between the situations of the two players. “I don’t think you can ever have enough defensive linemen, especially in this league and this division. So, this doesn’t speak to anyone else that’s on our football team. This is just adding another weapon to our defense that we can utilize and keep guys fresh, keep guys coming after the quarterback and being relentless against the run.”

“If [the Bengals] take Shemar Stewart, … that suddenly makes Trey Hendrickson a lot more easy to get rid of.” 👀@PSchrags on updates surrounding Trey Hendrickson and the Bengals.
(via @PatMcAfeeShow) pic.twitter.com/xyXI2JtYhY

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) April 22, 2025

Stewart certainly didn’t have eye-popping numbers during his three seasons at Texas A&M. He finished his collegiate career with just 11 tackles for loss and a total of 4.5 sacks combined, but his athleticism and game tape made him valuable enough to be a top-20 pick. At the NFL Combine, he tested out as the top edge rusher in multiple different categories.

If the Bengals are able to retain Hendrickson and come to a contract agreement, then Cincinnati should have an elite pass rushing duo for the near future. They would be able to take pressure off of the rest of the defense by getting to the quarterback, making the lives of the defensive backs much easier.

If Hendrickson happens to be dealt this off-season, then it will be his shoes that Stewart will attempt to fill. But if the veteran sticks around, then the rookie will be looked at as a replacement for Sam Hubbard, who retired back in March after seven years in the NFL, all with the Bengals.