CINCINNATI (WXIX) - Seven months after Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson first requested a trade, it’s clear that this pass rush and this defense doesn’t work without him.

By that measure, the Bengals’ decision to hold onto him in the offseason makes more sense in retrospect. If Joe Burrow had stayed healthy and the 2025 Bengals still felt like Super Bowl contenders, then Hendrickson would be as valuable to the team’s playoff hopes as any single defender is for any team in the NFL.

But now it’s November, Burrow is injured and despite Joe Flacco’s heroics the Bengals have a 3-6 record. Still, they weren’t going to give up on the year.

Zac Taylor said on Monday, “We’ve talked about, ‘This can’t be a lost season for us.’”

The Bengals had one more chance to deal Hendrickson

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