Stampede Blue
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano (subscription), the Indianapolis Colts still seem like a logical trade destination for Cincinnati Bengals reigning All-Pro pass rusher Trey Hendrickson—even with their current caveat that “Cincinnati has no plans to trade Hendrickson right now”:
“Up to this point, the Bengals have rebuffed trade inquiries, and sources have maintained that Cincinnati has no plans to trade Hendrickson right now,” writes Fowler. “The Cowboys and 49ers are among the interested teams, though San Francisco made a move for a pass rusher Tuesday night.”
“ . . . Complicating matters is a hip injury that has compromised Hendrickson’s past two weeks on the field, though that injury is not considered serious and Hendrickson should be full-go for the stretch run, be it for Cincinnati or someone else,” adds Fowler. “The Colts make a ton of sense as a contending team that could be the proverbial ‘one player away.’ It would also represent a reunion between Hendrickson and former Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, now running the defense in Indianapolis.”
It’s not the first time that the Colts have been linked to Hendrickson, as Indianapolis had reportedly maintained interest throughout this past offseason—after the elite veteran pass rusher initially requested a trade.
The pairing is only logical, as Hendrickson previously played under Colts new veteran defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo in Cincinnati from 2021-24. The 30-year-old had his best career individual season in Anarumo’s Bengals defense last year, finishing with a league-leading 17.5 total sacks—en route to First-Team All-Pro honors.
The 4x NFL Pro Bowler has been limited by a hip injury recently, but still has 4.0 sacks on the season in 7 starts, and if fully healthy, would be a significant upgrade to a stalling Colts’ pass rush off the edge as of late.
Per ESPN Analytics, the Colts currently rank 29th in pass rush win rate at 31%—although Indianapolis is currently tied for the 6th most team sacks at 23 total sacks. The Colts have struggled generating a consistent edge rush outside of 2nd-year pro and former first round pick Laiatu Latu.
If fully healthy, Hendrickson remains one of the best pass rushers in the league.
With the Colts leading the AFC at 7-1 and being red hot, and the conference down atop, if there was any year for Indianapolis and longtime general manager Chris Ballard to go all in and make a ‘win now’ championship move, this would arguably be it—albeit within reason.
