The Bengals' Trey Hendrickson cleared to play against the Titans
The Bengals have one of the best DEs in the league and he was just given the green light to play, ahead of their NFL Divisional Round showdown.
If the Bengals had a bite before, then the return of their top pass-rusher can't bode well for the Titans
Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson cleared to play
Trey Hendrickson is good to go. That's the word coming out of the Bengals' camp on Thursday, as Cincinnati's defensive end officially cleared the league's concussion protocol. With the news, the Bengals can now count on Hendrickson's services as they prepare to face the Tennessee Titans in the AFC divisional-round playoff game on Saturday. According to Bengals coach Zac Taylor, the team is very happy to have him back. "He's been in these moments before," Taylor said in a teleconference with reporters. "He's one of our premier players. It's good to have him."
It was during the Bengals' 29-19 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in their Wild Card game on January 15th, when Hendrickson was forced off the field and subsequently entered the league's concussion protocol. As he made progress the team eventually cleared him for limited practice, which he completed on Tuesday before being involved in a full training session on Wednesday. Having signed with the Bengals back in 2021, Hendrickson has without doubt been one of the best tacklers in the NFL. Last season alone he registered 14 sacks, which not only was 1st on the team, but the most in the Bengals' single season history.
What do the Bengals gain with Hendrickson's return?
With Hendrickson now available, Cincinnati's defensive line definitely gets a much needed boost. Already without a handful of other key players, things were looking grim for the Bengals ahead of their clash with Tennessee. Indeed the team is currently without key defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, whose season is officially over as per his injured-reserve status posted earlier in the week. One will recall that Ogunjobi had to leave during the Bengals win over the Raiders with a foot injury. The player himself tweeted on Thursday that he had a successful operation. As for their date with Tennessee on Saturday, the Bengals are making their first divisional appearance since January 1991. Expect Hendrickson to bite.