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Hendrickson was listed as questionable on this week's injury report. He was a limited participant in practice for both Wednesday and Thursday, and he was a non-participant Friday. He also missed Week 7's game, which was nine days ago as of this posting. It was his first missed contest since the 2022 season.Missing two-straight games would've been completely uncharacteristic for Hendrickson, but his hip injury has caused Cincinnati to be careful. It sounds like barring a setback, he'll be playing in a game the Bengals are already expected to win. What Trey Hendrickson's return would mean for Bengals' defense Hendrickson was expected to be Cincinnati's unquestioned best pass-rusher again this year, and he hasn't disappointed. He racked up four sacks, 23 pressures, and a win percentage of 22.6% according to Pro Football Focus in the first six games of the season. No one else on the roster has more than two sacks or a win percentage higher than 12.7%.The Bengals felt Hendrickson's absence last week on "Thursday Night Football." The Pittsburgh Steelers posted 31 points as quarterback Aaron Rodgers was kept clean for most of the night. Rodgers was only pressured seven times and was never sacked by Hendrickson's teammates while he watched from the sideline. If Hendrickson is healthy enough to start instead of coming off the bench in critical moments, that will lead to fewer snaps for the likes of Myles Murphy and Shemar Stewart. Murphy had 42 snaps last week while Stewart got the start in Hendrickson's place and 22 snaps to for himself as well. Cincinnati is currently six-point favorites to beat the Jets, who are without cornerback Sauce Gardner and wide receiver Garrett Wilson this weekend. Hendrickson's return only strengthens the expectation for the Bengals to take care of business and move to 4-4 on the year.
