The Baltimore Ravens made a franchise-changing move this offseason. Their decision to sign Trey Hendrickson could be a lifesaver for a defensive line that was tough to watch in 2025. They forked up a lot of money to sign him, a four-year, $112 million deal to be exact, but with his production, he’s definitely deserving of that cash.
Not everyone is sold on Baltimore’s offseason, though. They received a puzzling grade back in May from FanSided’s Cody Williams, who gave them a ‘C.’ Now, more recently, the Hendrickson move has been critiqued.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton released his re-grades of the biggest offseason moves, and for the Ravens’ Hendrickson signing, he gave them a ‘B-’...pretty underwhelming. Moton wrote:
“Regardless of the intentions, the Ravens paid a premium for an edge-rusher coming off an injury-shortened campaign. Baltimore felt more comfortable with Hendrickson's physical than with Crosby's, but the former's short-term durability remains a question mark in his age-32 campaign.”
Baltimore Ravens’ Trey Hendrickson has more critics to prove wrong in 2026
At face value, I understand the critics to some extent. The Ravens backing out of the Crosby trade was as polarizing as any move in NFL history. However, it’s hard to argue that they didn’t get themselves a game-changing player to help rebuild their defense.
Sure, Hendrickson is 31 years old, but he’s been aging like a fine wine. His career-best campaign, in which he totaled 17.5 sacks for a second straight year and earned Defensive Player of the Year votes, came at the ripe age of 30 years old. In 2025, before a hip and pelvis injury ended his season, he was on another strong pace at four sacks in seven games.
Now, that paycheck is certainly a rich investment in someone who will turn 32 in 2026, especially someone coming off an injury. That’s the state of the league, though. You’re going to have to back up the Brinks truck if you want to sign an elite pass rusher, and also one that was widely considered the top free agent this offseason.
And it’s also simply a move the Ravens had to make. It’s been almost a decade since they had a real, elite threat coming off the edge. They tried to cheap out on the pass rush over the past few seasons, and although it worked in the regular season, it has been one of the main factors behind their downfall in the playoffs. Hopefully, Hendrickson will change that.
The four-time Pro Bowler also has a pretty good supporting cast. Most notably, fellow outside linebackers Tavius Robinson and Zion Young bring innate run-stopping abilities to the table. That should help hide Hendrickson’s biggest flaw: his ineffectiveness against the run.
Ultimately, it’s a huge risk and reward for Baltimore. On one hand, maybe the critics win this battle, and Hendrickson struggles to maintain that All-Pro level. But on the other hand, there's a good chance he continues to dominate off the edge and proves he’s worth that contract.
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