The struggling Bengal defensive unit took a massive hit to start free agency. Star edge rusher, Trey Hendrickson was not franchise tagged and hit the free agent market. This was a decision the Bengals quickly regretted as the Baltimore Ravens signed him after the Maxx Crosby trade fell through.
Hendrickson agreed to an annual $28 million salary over four years with 60 million guaranteed from the Ravens. The Bengals were not so successful in negotiations with Hendrickson since he held out of training camp going into the 2025 season. Being the 2024 sack leader, he believed he deserved more guaranteed money from the Bengals; however, his age made the Bengals hesitant to guarantee so much money. Undoubtedly, Hendrickson was an important piece to the Bengals’ struggling defense since 2021.
With their star pass rusher gone, the Bengals were quick to look for a new edge rusher. Boye Mafe is hoped to be a fill the hole Hendrickson left. Picked in the second round by Seattle, Mafe has gathered 20 career sacks in his four years with Seattle. 2023 was Mafe’s best year with nine sacks; however, his 2025 production leaves many fans worried since he had only two. Despite the low sack number, Mafe was 8th in the league for pass rush win rate, and he is known for his speed off the line of scrimmage. Also, the Bengals may have overpaid for the Super Bowl Champion with a 3-year 60-million-dollar deal. Mafe is not expected to completely fill the void Hendrickson left, but he is a good addition to help a struggling pass rush.
The Bengals will also be looking to possibly investing a high draft pick for a better pass rush. A prospect that seems more likely to fall to the 10th pick is Reuben Bain Jr. Bain had elite production for the Miami Hurricanes with 20.5 sacks over three years, and he was a big part of Miami’s insane National Championship contented team. However, Bain’s arm length has plummeted his draft stock. With 31-inch arms, over two inches shorter than the NFL average. Many scouts question if Bain will be able to repeat his college production with his arm disadvantage. Overall, Reuben Bain Jr. has potential to be an elite pass rusher, but he has a lot of risk for the 10th pick.
Keldrick Faulk is another first round prospect; however, he should be avoided with the 10th pick. Similar to Shemar Stewart and unlike Bain, Faulk has elite measurable but poor production, only 10 sacks in his career. The Bengals need to pick a player who can make an immediate impact on the field and not a project who needs a lot of development.
Looking at current Bengal players, Myles Murphy is a previous first round pick that many fans are still hopeful can take a leap in production. Coming off the best year of his career, Murphy had 5
.5 sacks and 52 total tackles in 2025. Hendrickson’s hip injury resulted in Murphy picking up more snaps, so hopefully he can continue to develop under defensive coordinator Al Golden.
The Bengals defense has looked pitiful over the last two years, but Trey Hendrickson was a bright spot on the unit. However, one player is not going to be enough to fix the defense and return the Bengals to Super Bowl contenders.
