Cincinnati Bengals star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson has yet to reach a new deal with the team after months of public back and forth between the franchise and Hendrickson. The Bengals' defense, which was one of the worst in the league outside of Hendrickson's individual accomplishment as the league's sack leader in 2024, could use him back in a big way.
That's what makes their recent cut of linebacker Germaine Pratt, per Tom Pelissero, feel very pointed and related to Hendrickson. Pratt being cut by the team opens up $5.8 million in cap space on their books, which could very likely be getting added to Hendrickson's new deal that's expected to be close to on par with what Cleveland Browns EDGE Myles Garrett received this offseason.
This is bad news for the Detroit Lions if they were still considering making a play for the pass rusher to add even more pop to their defensive line. They do have Aidan Hutchinson back and working out with their defensive unit in OTAs, which is a great sign for them on that side of the ball, but adding another pass rusher will be huge for giving him a break throughout the start of the regular season.
Hendrickson would be their dream option - but, it continues to seem like just a dream and not a possible reality with this latest Bengals cut.
Cutting Pratt adds more cap room for Hendrickson deal
Cincinnati, which has been in the news for all the wrong reasons this offseason, can finally get something right by extending Hendrickson. Their defense is truly lackluster without him on their edge, so it makes no sense to punt a season with prime Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins on offense because they cannot keep their defensive firepower on the roster.
That's a blow to for Detroit, who have been projected to be the team that could make the best pick-package offer, at least, for Hendrickson. The Lions continue to seem happy to rely on Marcus Davenport to stay healthy this season to add help for Hendrickson at pass rusher, and they also drafted a high-floor pass rusher in Ahmed Hassanein.
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Ironically, Pratt could be a great defender for the Lions to go after for depth, especially in light of recent injury news regarding Malcolm Rodriguez and ongoing question marks surrounding Alex Anzalone's availability to start training camp this offseason.