Bengals' top free agent they can't afford to lose isn't a shocker

Story byChris Roling, Bengals WireSat, January 17, 2026 at 12:00 AM UTC·1 min readAll signs, including recent reporting, hint at a final goodbye between the Cincinnati Bengals and Trey Hendrickson this offseason. But it has never been that simple with the Bengals and Hendrickson, right?AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBefore anything else, there’s the matter of need. Both Hendrickson and Joseph Ossai are scheduled to be free agents, leaving the Bengals pass-rush totally reliant on Myles Murphy and Shemar Stewart. That and Hendrickson’s production are reasons why PFF’s Bradley Locker writes that he’s the one free agent the Bengals can’t afford to lose:“The 2024 All-Pro was limited to just 285 snaps this season, but he still flourished with a 90.0 PFF pass-rush grade and 23 pressures across seven games. He finished fourth on the team in pressures and paced the unit in PFF overall grade (minimum 100 snaps), which speaks volumes about the state of the Bengals’ pass rush without him.”RELATED: Duke Tobin's anticipated Bengals address underwhelmsAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAnd to be fair, the Bengals’ list of important free agents this offseason is a very short one. Onlookers shouldn't scoff at the idea of a Hendrickson return, either.